Of Grace and Banners Fallen
by LordofPotters66
Summary: Harry Potter has just lost his godfather to the war against Lord Voldemort. As his life chances rapidly, he becomes more and more aware of his growing connection with Ginny Weasley. But will their growing love and power be enough to stop the decending darkness of war?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Ashes of Truth**

Dark clouds obscured the new moon, bathing the world beneath in an unearthly darkness. Two black-robed figures popped into existence. They looked around, seemingly anxious, before relaxing slightly as no-one rose up to meet them. They shared a knowing look and hurried towards the corner of the dark street. From there, they peered towards a large stone house in the street known to Muggles as Privet Drive. Their eyes glistered as they watched the house from far away, unable to get closer due to the powerful wards installed all over the street. The old fool Dumbledore had done his homework well on this one. If was not surprising, of course, considering that none other than Harry Potter lived in that house during summer breaks.

'The wards are strong as ever,' one of the two black-robed figures grunted. 'I don't understand why we are send out here every night. For all we know, the entire Order of the Phoenix could be trapping us here.' He looked around again, nervously fidgeting with his black wand. The other Death Easter snorted. 'Our master gave us orders Yaxley,' he said in a warning tone. 'We obey, without questioning. Questioning can be dangerous, as you surely know by now.' The man smiled behind his deathly mask. He had seen the severe punishment Lucius Malfoy received form their master when he had returned empty-handed from the Department of Mysteries a few weeks ago. He could still hear the screaming in his head. His smile broadened. He had always liked pain, and power, and now he had both. He had been named the leader of a group of Death Eaters that was to watch Privet Drive every day and night. It was a huge chance and responsibility, and Yaxley wasn't about to disappoint his master just yet.

'I know,' the other man, a young recruit named Dennis Pollever, said in a low voice. 'I am no foul Yaxley. I only want to make clear that nothing has changed over the last three weeks. We can't get in there. We can't get to the Potter boy, and you know it.' He spit on the ground and shook his head. Frustration was practicaly radiating from the young Death Eater. Yaxley scowled. The young man had only completed his vows two months ago, when he had first killed someone in the service of the Dark Lord. He was a greenie.

'Have patience,' Yaxley growled in a dangerous voice. 'The Dark Lord knows what he is doing. The Potter boy can never hope to win this war. Our master will see to that. Somehow, he seems to think that the wards are weakening. We don't see the evidence, not yet, but we will. We'll just have to wait for it.' He left the rest of his thoughts unspoken. Once the wards were sufficiently weakened, he and his fellow Death Eater would storm Privet Drive. Every Muggle would be slaughtered, and the Potter boy would be delivered to their master. And then, Yaxley knew, he would rise above his fellow Death Eaters to become the trusted right hand of Lord Voldemort. Lucius Malfoy had had his chance. Not, it was Yaxley's turn. With a feral smile he continued watching Privet Drive from afar.

Albus Percival Dumbledore sighted as he read yet another report of several Death Eater attacks in southern England. Several Muggles had been killed, and many more needed to be obliviated. It was a pure mess. Silently, he once again cursed the stubbornness of Prime Minister Fudge. The man would not be Minister anymore within a few days, Dumbledore knew, but the damage had already been done. There was a vote of no confidence coming, but Dumbledore doubted that they would get a truly capable Minister next. Followers of Voldemort had already infiltrated the Ministry. Dumbledore was sure they would do everything they could to slow reforms and destabilize the government. The enemy of the wizarding world was already inside its walls.

The old men shook his head as he burned the paper. Severus Snape had done well. He had discovered yet another plot to attack Muggles in broad daylight, this time in the city of Birmingham. Dumbledore made a mental note to send a Patronus to Grimmauld Place to warn the Order. Fighters would need to be dispatched to counter the Death Eater threat. Maybe Remus, and Allostor Moody, and probably Bill Weasley, since he was very gifted with wards and shields. As the Headmaster of Hogwarts rose from his comfortable seat, his eyes fell on the large sing sitting on his desk. He frowned. He had almost discovered a way to brake the ancient dark magic in the ring and destroy the piece of Voldemort that was locked inside of it. That would be another major step towards victory. However, the road remained long and exceptionally dangerous. Dumbledore knew well that Harry Potter held the key to success. Once again, the mind of the ancient wizard turned towards the sixteen year old boy. He would be at the center of the hurricane, and didn't even know how important he was. But he would, soon, Dumbledore was certain of that. The time had almost come for the Boy Who Lived to take up the role he was destined to fulfill: that of a champion of the Light in its long war with Darkness.


	2. 1 The Downside of Dursley Life

**1**

**The downside of Dursley life**

Harry Potter awoke with a start, bathing in cold sweat. His hands trembled as he stepped out of bed. It took him several more minutes to get his labored breath under control. As he calmed down, he looked around. His bedroom was the smallest in the house. It's furniture consisted of just an old bed, a closet and a small table with a wooden chair that seemed about to break into pieces. It smelled like it hadn't been cleaned out in months, which probably was the cause anyway. His relatives didn't want to be reminded of their strange nephew, who spend his school years in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry had just returned from his fifth year at school, but he had not returned as a happy young teenager. His godfather, Sirius Black, had been killed by followers of the fanatical Lord Voldemort, his archenemy since birth. When he closed his eyes, he could still hear the madness in the victorious laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange as she had blasted her own family towards certain death. His dreams were clouded with the pain Voldemort had inflicted on hem once he had possessed the young men in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. He could still feel the unrelenting hate and swallowing darkness of the dark lord. He shivered.

Harry sighted and began pacing in his room. It had been three weeks. He had received some vague letters from his friends, informing him of life at the Burrow. Security was tight now that the war had finally begun. Every day Death Eaters attacked Muggles and wizards alike, trying to cause as much fear and mayhem as they could. Harry knew that the Order of the Phoenix was doing what it could to protect the wizarding world from the mayhem, but it was not enough. Because of the stubborn refusal of minister Fudge to recognize Voldemort's return, the darkness had been given enough time to prepare for war. The Ministry, on the other hand, was still in chaos and uncertainty.

Harry clenched his jaw tightly. He felt anger deep inside of him. He had lost his godfather. He had learned of the prophesy that bonded him and Voldemort together in unbreakable bonds of destiny. He knew he would have to come up with a way to kill the megalomaniac, but he didn't have the slightest clue how he could achieve that. He wasn't overly powerful, or very wise. He was just a student, while Voldemort had decades of dark magic, knowledge and murder in his twisted mind. He didn't think he stood a chance.

_That's not right, _a small voice in the back of his mind whispered, _you have escaped Voldemort four times already. You do have a chance. There's always a chance. _Harry shook his head. He didn't want to trust his conscience. With a deep sight he went to bed, closing his eyes as he searched for the elusive sleep that did not come for a long time. As he slowly drifted away towards the realm of sleep, his dreams were once again filled with images of a falling Sirius Black. _I am sorry Sirius. I wasn't strong enough. I am so sorry. _His face twisted into a mask of despair in his sleep and he started tossing and turning again, trying in vain to outrun his inner demons.

'Boy!' The bellowing voice of uncle Vernon woke Harry up. He grounded as he set up. 'Boy! Get down here, right now!' A hand banged on his door. Harry shook his head, took a deep breath, and went in search of some cloths. Most of his jeans and shirts were too large for him. They had once belonged his is overly fat cousin Dudley, who always complained that he needed more new stuff. Cloths, toys, computer games, it didn't matter. Of course, his uncle and aunt were only too happy to comply to his wishes. Harry, on the other hand, had never once received a gift from his relatives. He was unwanted, and he knew it.

Harry walked downstairs and into the large kitchen. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were already eating breakfast. Dudley was in the living room watching the huge television, a piece of strawberry cake in his lap. His little eyes were glued towards the large screen. 'Morning,' Harry said neutrally. He then turned towards uncle Vernon. 'You wanted to see me, Uncle?' It was not a question.

Uncle Vernon looked up. His eyes narrowed, as if he was watching a piece of filth walking into his kitchen. 'Yes,' he growled. 'I want you to clean my car. There is mud and dust on it. This heat is oppressive, and I don't want to go out.' He looked down again. Harry fumed. He was always ordered to do the filthy work in the Dursley house. If he didn't, he wouldn't get food for two days. His relatives wouldn't really mind if he starved to death. 'Yes Uncle,' he managed to say in a normal voice. 'I will do it.' His relatives didn't even respond to his answer. They just continued eating as if he wasn't there at all. That was another of their favorite ways of teasing him. Harry turned around and marched into the garden to fetch some water and soap. He wished he was of age already. If he were, he could easily use magic to clean the car. He smiled as he thought about what uncle Vernon would say if he found out his car was magically cleaned. It was a comical thought, Harry decided as he filled a bucket with cool water.

As he washed the car, Harry looked up and down the street. He knew there were powerful magical wards protecting Privet Drive from Death Eaters and other dark creatures. However, he did not feel at ease. Something was wrong. It felt like he was being watched by someone unfriendly, but as he watched down into both sides of the empty street, he couldn't find out where the source of his unease came from. He took a deep breath and continued scrubbing the car clear until it shined like new. He smiled and nodded to himself.

When he returned into the house, he immediately fled upstairs. He knew that he would have to do more choruses if he stayed downstairs. Once in his room, he closed the door and let out a long breath. His eyes fell on the snow-white owl. Hedwig had been his companion for years now, his first real friend. A letter was attached to the leg of the owl. Harry took if off and smiled. He recognized the neat handwriting of Ginny Weasley. They had been writing each other ever since the start of summer. He felt warmth in his chest as he opened the letter, his eyes glued to the paper and the words written there.

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you doing? I hope your Muggle relatives aren't giving you a too hard time this summer. If they do, I'll burn them alive. Life at the Burrow is pretty boring right now. Due to the war, mum and dad don't allow us to go out after dark. We need to stay on the property. Bill and some friends have been adding extra wards. Dad said it would be necessary to keep You-Know-Who's followers out. I hate it, though. I want to be able to fly and have some fun. We have been pranking Fred and George with their own joke products. Serves those gits right, after years of experimenting on us. But don't tell them I was the once who turned them into a yellow canary!_

_I know I shouldn't ask, but I'm going to anyway. How do you feel about the death of Sirius? I know you don't want to talk about it, but it's no good keeping it all bottled up inside. I don't know if you want to talk about it, but please write me back._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

Harry smiled as he read the letter. It was so Ginny. He hadn't really started talking to the Weasley girl before his fifth year. However, since then, they had become close friends. The red-haired Weasley had accompanied him on his disastrous mission to the Ministry of Magic a few weeks ago, and had proven herself a lethal force with her wand. Harry admitted he was impressed. He also trusted her, not even knowing why himself. He could tell her things that he couldn't share with Ron Weasley of Hermione Granger, his best friends from the first hour.

He grabbed a piece of parchment and started writing a letter back. He poured all of his emotions and fears inside it, without telling too much. There was always a risk that his letter would get intercepted by Death Eaters or other unfriendly eyes. He didn't want to bring the Weasley family into even more trouble. They already had enough to deal with because of him, because of who he was, because of what he had to try eventually. He wrote everything down that he knew would be of no value to unfriendly eyes, hating the fact that he couldn't talk to his friends face to face until the end of summer, which was still a few weeks off. Once he has finished the letter, he read it once more to make sure he was happy with what he had written.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Thanks for writing, as always. I'm happy to know that you are safe. You and your family must be going through a lot lately. I'm sorry, although I know that you don't want me to say that. So I apologize in advance. I'm relatively good. My aunt and uncle make me do a lot of work in and around the house, but it's not as bad as it once was. It keeps me busy during the warm days. _

_I am doing fine, Ginny. The death of Sirius was hard. It still is sometimes. But I know now that I couldn't have prevented it from happening anyway. This was all the fault of Bellatrix Lestrange. I know that. You don't need to worry so much about me, Ginny, I will be alright. I can't wait to see you. I hope your mum and dad and their friends stay safe. These are dark times, as we all know. I will write you again coming week, I promise. Be safe!_

_Love,_

_Harry_

He smiled and nodded. Harry walked over to Hedwig. The owl hooted softly as Harry put the letter back. 'Take it to the Burrow,' he said in a low voice as he pushed open his bedroom window. 'Be safe, Hedwig. Ginny will kill me once she thinks I didn't write back as soon as possible.' Hedwig hooted softly and nibbled on his finger top. Harry watched as she flew into the blue sky, disappeared as her wings took her further and further away from Privet Drive. His smile wavered as he turned around.

Harry walked over to his bed. Behind it, there was a floor plank that was loose, giving him a small space to keep personal stuff hidden from the prying eyes of his relatives. His aunt and uncle would never allow him to have magical items in the house. Everything he owned was locked away with his school trunk in the small closet below the stairs that had once been his bedroom. He smiled as he remembered those days, when he had first learnt that he was not a strange boy, but a wizard and a famous figurehead in another world. It had been the beginning of a strange and wonderful adventure. He had learnt to love and be loved, had met his friends and had learnt a lot about himself. It saddened him greatly that something as dark as Voldemort was trying hard to destroy everything he loved about the wizarding world. He pulled out two books on Advanced Curse Defense he had bought in Diagon Allay a year ago and started devouring the pages. He had already found some handy curses and charms that could help against Death Eaters. He couldn't wait to try them out. As his eyes scanned the pages, time flew by and evening set in. And just like that, another dreadful summer day on Privet Drive had ended for young Harry Potter.


	3. 2 Unannounced Guests

**2**

**Unannounced guests **

Harry paced his room, back and forth, back and forth. He concentrated on his magic. He could feel it humming in his chest, waiting to be used. He smiled. He had practiced these techniques over and over again in the past three weeks, and he finally had some results. He wondered if he could use this to perform wandless magic.

He read the paragraph again. He knew that feeling his own magic was the first real step towards wandless magic. He could also feel himself becoming stronger, like his magic was answering his call more clearly with every attempt he made to consciously control it. He tried again, determined to dig even deeper inside his magical core. His magic hummed and flowed in response. Harry smiled, proud that he had been able to make such progress in just a few weeks' time. He had first had his inspiration as he had watched the epic battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic. He had seen how both wizards had harried each other with wandless magic. The power of those curses had been mind staggering, and Harry couldn't wait to see if he was able to do the same. Even lesser curses and hexes would come in handy once he had another brawl with Death Eaters of dark creatures.

He slowly let go of his magic and slumped back onto his bed. It was always tiring to do this meditating, but it gave his heart and mind a much needed rest. He was certain that his meditating practices were helping him to cope with the sudden death of Sirius. It was bearable to think of his godfather, even though he could still feel a pang of pain and sorrow as he knew that he would never again be able to hug or write the man. Sirius had had a hard life. A sorrowful life. But he had been able to learn to know his godson, and he had fought against Darkness as the men he had always been. He had been killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, family of him, but he had died fighting his mortal enemies. He had died for what was right in the wizarding and in the Muggle world. That counted for something. Harry smiled as he embraced that thought. It made everything easier, as did writing his friends. He wondered when he would receive a new letter from Ron. He had written the boy three days ago, and hadn't received a reply yet. He shrugged. Undoubtedly, Ron had been busy evading his relatives and had forgotten to send his reply to Harry just yet.

'Boy!' Uncle Vernon bellowed from downstairs. 'Get down here! Now!' Harry could hear the rage in his voice. Harry closed his eyes for a moment. It had been nice and quit the past few hours. It seemed that was over for today. Harry opened his chamber door, trying to think about what his Uncle would want him to do now. He held his breath as he moved downstairs. He watched as his Uncle stormed into the hallway as he stepped into it. His dark eyes blazed. In his hands was a crumpled letter. Harry looked at the letter, not understanding what had set his Uncle off like this. Had he been fired? Was there something in that letter that had to do with Harry?

'Have you been writing to those freaks boys and girls, boy?' Vernon bellowed as he flung the letter at Harry. 'This letter is from one Ron Weasley. I know that name. Weasley. Those are that horrid people that stormed into our house last summer. Who demolished our entire wall, boy. Those freaks. What did I tell you, boy? Keep your freaky friends out of our lives! We don't want it, and we certainly don't need it!' His face was becoming purple at an alarmingly fast rate. Behind him, Aunt Petunia and Dudley watched from the kitchen doorway. Both looked rattled and a little bit scared. Aunt Petunia however nodded, indicating that she wholeheartedly supported Vernon's raging tirade against Harry. Dudley seemed to be just excited about the prospect of seeing his nephew punished yet again for something wrong he had done.

'Ron is my friend,' Harry said in a tight voice. 'He and his sister, Ginny Weasley, have been great friends. They are nice people Uncle. They just don't understand the way you live, like you don't understand the way they live.' He tried to be reasoning, but he could already see that it wasn't having any effect. His Uncle only looked to become more angry over his words. He sputtered and shook his head a few times. 'Don't tell me about those freaks!' he bellowed, his voice rising until it cracked.

Harry took a step backward. His fingers found his wand. Silently he thanked Delores Umbridgde, who was the sole reason he was holding his wand ready at any time of the day. 'You know nothing of me,' Harry said in a low voice. He could feel his iron self-control slipping, giving way to the emotions that had bubbled inside of him for so long. He just couldn't take the teasing of his Aunt and Uncle anymore. Not after Sirius. Not after the Prophecy. Not after everything that had happened to him already. 'You see the wizarding world as a giant evil. But that's not true. You are just frightened of it, because you don't understand it. Because you can't be a part of it.' He shook his head. 'My friends are loyal and loving. They love me for whom I am, not because of what I am. That's more than you've ever done for me.' His anger grew as his words stumbled out of his mouth. He was unable to keep them in any longer. 'I dare to say that you could learn a lot from them, Uncle Vernon. You really could.'

'Is that so?' Uncle Vernon bellowed. Before Harry knew what was going on, his Uncle pushed him back. The force of the push was great enough to hurt. He almost lost his balance. Only his lightning-quick Quidditch reflexes prevented him from falling over his own feet. His Uncle advanced again. 'I have put up with you long enough boy,' he growled in a bestial voice. 'It's time you learn some respect. I will teach you, oh yes I will. This has gone on way to long!'

Yaxley stood straighter. He couldn't believe his eyes. He could see the wards now, shimmering as their power waxed and waned. Excitement gripped him as he quickly pressed his Dark Mark. It was time.

As soon as he pressed his Mark, more Death Eaters began to appear. The watched silently as more of their brothers arrived. There were at least ten Death Eaters gathered. They whispered excitedly as the wards waned again, losing even more power. Some had already drawn their wands out. Yaxley focused on the wards, on the waxing and waning of its energy. It was clear to him that something major was going on. He smiled. 'Ready!' he bellowed. 'Once the wards come down, I want to move in. We can't afford to waste any more time before Dumbledore and his pets come here to rescue that little pup.' The other Death Eaters laughed as they closed in on the street, their black cloaks whipping in the cool wind of the summer evening.

Harry gasped as he stepped back. The rage in his Uncle's eyes frightened him just a little bit. Before he knew what he was doing, he had his wand in his hands. 'Step back,' he growled in a low voice. 'Don't ever dare to touch me again.' His eyes blazed as his anger was finally allowed to flow freely. 'And don't you dare to say those kind of things about the Weasleys ever again!'

Uncle Vernon looked surprised. However, after a fraction of a second his look turned to purple rage again. 'How dare you!' he bellowed, his hands clenched to fists. 'We raised you here boy. We took you in when we found you lying there on our doorstep. We tried to make you a normal boy, but freaks like you were never able to be normal. Just like your father.' He shook his trembling head. 'I want you to leave. Leave, and never come back. We don't want you anymore. We don't need you anymore. Get out! Get out of here!' He advanced on Harry, who was slowly backing away towards the front door.

'You never raised me,' Harry said slowly, making sure his wand was levelled on Vernon Dursley. He felt cold, like al emotions were washed out of him. 'You never showed me any love of affection. I was always a liability for you. If you had the chance, you would have starved me to death. That is not a life. I hate you!' He bellowed the last words as he felt his magic humming and building up inside of him. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. However, the damage was already wrought. Uncle Vernon bellowed and tried to hit him. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry blasted his Uncle back into the kitchen wall. Aunt Petunia screamed and hurried towards her husband. Harry opened the door with his free hand, his steely eyes on his former relatives. He was disgusted and didn't feel in the least part sorry to abandon Privet Drive for the last time. He had wanted to do this years ago already.

Yaxley watched with a feral smile as the wards collapsed. His fellow Death Eaters whispered excitedly to each other. 'Now is the time,' Yaxley said to the gathered followers of Lord Voldemort. 'We move in, now. Kill every Muggle you see. But do not harm the Potter boy. We have clear orders to take him to our master alive and well. Copy?' The other Death Eaters nodded earnestly.

Yaxley's smile broadened. 'Move in!' he ordered. 'Let's go kill some Muggles.'

With a howl of excitement, the Death Eaters moved into the street. As soon as they did, the front door of Privet Drive opened, showing a sixteen year old boy with a drawn wand moving backwards into the front garden.

Ginny Weasley looked up from her homework as frenzied voices called out from the living room of the Burrow. She frowned and stood up, walking towards the living room. Just as she entered, the fire blazed and Bill Weasley disappeared into the flames. She could feel the panic in the room. 'What's going on?' he asked as she stepped closer. 'Mum? What going on? Has there been another Death Eater attack?'

Molly Weasley looked at her only daughter. Worry shone in her eyes. She seemed to hesitate for a moment. 'There has been an incident at Privet Drive dear,' she said in a soft voice. 'The wards are coming down. We are moving there to see if everything is alright. Just wait here Ginny. We will return soon.' Ginny gasped as she heard the news. Privet Drive. Harry! Worry exploded inside her as she took another step towards the green flames. However, her mother saw what she was doing and stepped in between Ginny and the fire. 'No, no, my dear,' she said in a stronger voice. 'Wait here, and leave this to the adults. We will bring Harry back with us. We promise.' She smiled and went into the Floo. Ginny watched her disappear in the flames, still fuming.

_Be safe, Harry, _she thought vehemently_, because if you manage to get yourself wounded, you will regret the moment I set eyes on you. _She went towards one of the many chairs in the room and lowered herself down. Her eyes were glued towards the fire place as her heart raced in her throat. In total silence, she combatted with her rising worry and despair. She should be there, at Privet Drive. She had proven she could fight in the Ministry last year. She had stood next to Harry, fighting together with him against the Death Eaters. She was ready to do her part in this war. She had to. As the minutes slowly ticked away on the Weasley clock, her eyes never left the Floo access.


	4. 3 Battle of Privet Drive

**3**

**Battle of Privet Drive**

Harry stepped outside into the cool evening air. He held his wand trailed on his relatives. Uncle Vernon was already back on his face. He winced as he took a step towards the front door. 'You will pay for this boy!' he screamed. 'How dare you attack me like this. You freak! I will show you some respect!' As he advanced, Harry took another two steps back. He didn't want to hit his Uncle with another spell, fearing the response from the Ministry. However, he was ready and willing to defend himself if he had too. This had gone on way too long already. It was time he took his own choices.

'Stay back,' Harry growled in a dangerously low voice. 'I will not hesitate to use my wand against you again, Vernon Dursley. I'm leaving. Forever. Don't make me do things I will later on regret.'

As he spoke his last words, his mind screamed a warning. He turned around quickly. His eyes went wide with shock. At least eight black robes figures were storming into Private Drive. Spells flew as the walls of homes were blown to dust in mere seconds. People were screaming and dying by the score. 'Damn it,' Harry said as two stunners exploded near his position. 'I should have known.' He turned towards the Dursleys. 'Get inside. Stay out of the line of fire.' None of the three terrified Muggles seemed to hear him speak. Cursing, Harry fired of a blasting hex towards the nearest Death Eater. The man blocked and laughed as he shot another spell towards the front door. The ground shook from another explosion nearby as smoke filled the street.

The members of the Order of the Phoenix Apparated into Privet Drive. They immediately started shooting curses towards the assembled Death Eaters. Green, purple, yellow and red flashes illuminated the air. Loud explosions shook the ground. Bill Weasley cursed as he ducked low towards the ground to avoid a nasty looking curse shot at him by one of the Death Eaters. Somewhere further down the road, he could see Alastor Moody dueling with another black-robed figure. A blasting hex blew part of the street into the air. Bill steadily advanced towards Privet Drive number four. He knew Harry should be their somewhere, the focal point of Death Eater attacks. He hoped he was not too late.

Curses and hexes flew. Bill carefully stepped over the lifeless body of one of the Muggles who had been cut down in the crossfire. The Death Eaters were relentless in their attacks. They didn't spare a single living being during their attacks, Bill knew. He had seen enough evidence of their brutality over the last several months to last for a lifetime. 'Hang on their Harry,' he said as he moved towards the next burning car, ducking to avoid the sickly green light of a stray Killing Curse. 'I'm coming for you.'

Harry blocked another stunner. He had taken refuge behind the stone bench in the front garden. Part of the stone had already been blasting into dust. Harry could feel the stinging of two deep cuts on his right arm. He didn't look. He just kept up a steady defensive fire of stunners, blasting hexes and disarming charms towards the three Death Eaters that were trying to close in on him. He could see the battle in the street. He knew the Order was helping and slowly pushing towards his position, but he needed to hold out.

Another curse blew a part of the bench away. Harry gritted his teeth as his eyes began tearing from the dust and smoke. He coughed and moved an inch to the right. Another curse exploded on the house, taking with it a large part of the front window. Glass sprayed everywhere. The nearest Death Eater laughed at him. 'Come on Potter!' he growled in a menacing voice. 'Give up. You know you can't keep us out much longer. Give yourself in, and we will spare those filthy Muggles you call family.' Even as he spoke, he shot another blasting hex, which Harry deftly blocked with a quick shielding charm.

He rose and shot another hex towards the Death Eater. The man cursed as he had too dive to the side to avoid the sudden attack. Harry allowed himself a smile as he took in the sight of the man. Slowly, the Death Eater rose. His hood had fallen back, revealing the scowling face of a young man. Harry didn't know the man, but he knew the man had made his choice. He would fight and kill for Voldemort in the hopes of getting power, fame and money. As the young man fired another curse at him, Harry decided he had had enough.

He gathering the magic inside him, as he had done countless times over the past few weeks. His eyes glowed as he aimed his wand. 'For Sirius,' he whispered, as he released his magic. A powerful beam of gold light sped towards the Death Eater. The young man laughed as he erected a powerful shield charm. Harry just watched, amazed, as his curse broke down the shield and smashed into the chest of the Death Eater. The young men was blown backwards and landed in a heap on the pavestones of the street, not moving again. Smoke rose from his deathly black robes.

Harry allowed himself a small yelp of joy. It had actually worked. He turned around towards the scared Dursleys. They were still huddled in the opening of the door, looking with large eyes towards the mage battle taking place on their front steps. Harry opened his mouth to tell them to get inside right now, when a green curse sped past him. He could feel the heat of the curse. With wide eyes, he recognized the Killing Curse for what it was as it zoomed past him, speeding towards the non-suspecting Dursleys.

'No!' Harry screamed. It all seemed to slow down. He watched as the green beam enveloped his Uncle. Vernon looked surprised for a moment, before he collapsed on the front lawn of his home. Aunt Petunia screamed. She hugged the fallen body of her husband, screaming his name over and over again. Harry felt his heart grow cold as he watched the scene before him. He had never really loved his Uncle, but it was still the only real relative he had had. His death hit him right between his eyes. He gasped and took a step back.

'Had enough already Potter?' A drooling voice made Harry turn around. He looked into the grinning face of Yaxley. He knew the man from the battle at the Ministry of Magic. He was a Death Eater of the first hour, but not one of the closest aides of Voldemort himself. 'Care to give up? This is getting boring, you know. Your precious Order won't be able to save you this time Potter. Come along, and I will show you just a little bit of mercy.' His glistering eyes told Harry just how much mercy he would receive from Yaxley. None.

'You bet,' Harry growled. He was about to level his wand on the Death Eater, when the men surprised him with a quick curse. Harry rolled to the side and back up again. As he turned towards Yaxley, the man was already firing another Killing Course at the house. Harry saw Aunt Petunia drop to the ground next to her already dead husband. He looked right into her glazing eyes.

Remus Lupin watched in horror as the Dursleys got struck down by Killing Curses. He could hear the madly laughing of Yaxley. _No, no, no, _a voice in his mind screamed at him, _not this. Not now. Harry had been through enough trouble and emotional upheaval lately. He can't handle this now. _His eyes, however, were not deceiving the graying werewolf. With an animalistic growl and a deadly fire in his eyes, he advanced on Yaxley. The man had yet to notice him as he was too busy taunting Harry, who was still kneeling with his dead relatives. He would pay for that, Remus vowed silently.

In quick succession, he fired several hexes towards the Death Eater. Yaxley turned around with a snarl. 'You!' he bellowed. The duel began in earnest, as both fighters sought to kill, not wound. This was a battle of life and death for the both of them. Remus kept up a steady stream of curses, all the while keeping up his strong shields. Step by step he got closer to Yaxley, who was frowning and taking a hesitant step backwards, towards Privet Drive number four.

Just as he was about to deliver a striking blow to his enemy, the Death Eater made an unexpected move. He dived to the side and ran straight up towards Privet Drive number four. For a moment, Remus had no clue about what the man was up too. Then his eyes found Dudley Dursley, who was kneeling next to his parents with wide, disbelieving eyes. Within a few seconds, Yaxley had aimed his wand towards the last remaining Dursley and shot of another Killing Curse towards the helpless Muggle boy.

Harry looked on as Dudley crumpled to the ground. Before he was aware of what he was doing, he ran towards Yaxley. The Death Eater smiled as he came near, reading his wand for yet another Killing Curse. Before Harry could fire a single curse, Remus was past him. The werewolf actually howled as he hurled curse after curse towards Yaxley. Harry watched in awe as the friend of his father forced the Death Eater from the bodies of his relatives.

Harry felt anger boil inside of him. That monster was the reason he had lost even more people. He aimed his wand towards Yaxley. He didn't even care if his mind was screaming a warning to him not to use a Killing Curse. For the second time in his life, he knew he would be able to cast dark magic. His eyes blazed. The magic swelled inside of him, humming and growing in power.

Before he could fire the curse, however, Yaxley spun around and aimed his wand right at Harry. The purple beam shot towards him. Remus turned around with wide eyes and shouted a warning. Harry dove to the side in a daring bit to outrun the well-aimed curse. The ground where he had stood exploded. The wave of the explosion made Harry spin in the middle of the air. His head hit the pavestones of the street with a loud thud. Stars exploded in his mind, and he knew nothing more of what was going on around him.

Harry opened his eyes. He immediately recognized the cozy sitting room of the Burrow, the place he called his second home in his mind. As he tried to get up, a wave of nauseous swept him. Groaning, he fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes for a moment until he had steadied his breathing.

A cool hand on his forehead made him open his eyes again. He looked right into the concerned face of Ginny Weasley. 'How are you doing?' he asked in a low voice. 'Please, tell me.' He wanted to keep everything he felt deep down, but once he stared into the brown eyes of Ginny, he knew he couldn't keep his feelings a secret. Not from her. Not now. 'Their dead,' he whispered in a broken voice. 'My last living family. I never liked them. I hated them, in fact, but still … they were all I had left of my family. And now their dead because of me. Because I was still their when the wards came down.' He closed his eyes, battling the pain in his body and in his heart.

Strong arms enveloped him in a hug. He could smell the perfume Ginny had put on that morning. 'Shush,' she whispered in his ear as she kept holding him. 'It's alright Harry. It's not your fault. Blame the Death Eaters. Blame Voldemort. But it's not your fault. You should get some more sleep.' Her words helped to calm him down. Despite his inner turmoil, he could feel how sleep once again claimed his body and mind. Above him, Ginny smiled as she continued holding the boy who had pulled at her heart since childhood.


	5. 4 Grief and Love

**4**

**Grief and Love**

Harry awoke the next morning feeling empty. He had never really loved the Dursleys, far from in fact, but they had been the only living blood link to his dead parents. He felt like he had just lost the last living part of his parents, although he knew that was not true. Remus was still there. He had been a near lifelong friend of James Potter, but still, it was different in a strange way. He stepped out of bed and dressed himself in complete silence. He knew it was still early, as the light outside was still grey and slim. He guessed it was around six in the morning, the time he usually woke up at the Dursleys to begin another day of choruses and abuse. He shook his head, denying those thoughts. It was over. At least that part was over forever.

He made his way downstairs. He recognized the neat cleaning of Ms. Weasley. However, her cleaning seemed to radiate a special kind of warmth and kindness. It was so totally opposed to Aunt Petunia that Harry had to smile. He set himself down at the kitchen table, staring into the room. He tried to order his emotions in a neat fashion, but they kept rolling over. He grunted and closed his eyes for a brief moment. Just as he was about to go back upstairs, he heard footsteps on the stairs. Harry turned towards the doorframe and was surprised to see Ginny coming into view, dressed in her purple nightgown. She seemed hesitant for a moment. Then, she moved closer and sat down next to him.

'I awoke when you passed my room,' she said in a low voice. 'I gather you couldn't sleep.' Her brown eyes pierced into his own, demanding an honest answer. Harry found out he couldn't lie. Not to her. 'Yeah,' he mumbled, averting his gaze. 'I kept thinking about the Dursleys. I know it's not my fault, but they were the last living relatives of my Mum.' He sighted. 'Now, every connection has been severed for good.'

Ginny contemplated his words for a few moments. Then she shook her head. 'I think not,' she answered him. 'You are a fabulous person, Harry Potter. You are kind and loving, smart and powerful. I'm sure you have the best of both of your parents inside you. As long as you live, your parents will never truly be dead, let alone forgetting.' She smiled as he looked up, surprised by the serene logic of her reasoning. He had never seen it that way before. 'You are wonderful,' he said as a smile broke on his face. 'You know just what to tell me to make me feel better. Thank you Ginny.'

'No problem,' Ginny beamed back. 'I'm there when you need me Potter. Don't you think for a second that I would let you sulk all alone this summer. You need friends that care about you.' Harry nodded. He could already see the truth of her words. Somehow, deep down, he knew Ginny was sincerely concerned about him. A warm feeling spread. His smiled broadened. 'I think I can get used to that. You know, being surrounded by people who actually care about me.'

Ginny nodded eagerly. She was determined to show her love and support to the boy sitting at the table. He had been through enough. She knew that giving love and warmth would help him heal, help him get over the sudden deaths of both Sirius and his Muggle relatives. She knew it would be a long way down the road, but as she looked into his startlingly green eyes, she knew he had a chance of gaining his ground again.

It wasn't long before other Weasleys began to come down. At seven, Molly and Arthur appeared in the doorway. They seemed surprised to see Harry and Ginny up and running at such an early time, but after a quick look they both smiled and said there good mornings. Harry smiled as both adults sat themselves down and began making breakfast. The smell of food drew the other Weasley males downstairs. Breakfast was a jolly affair. Harry marveled at the talk, the laughing and the jokes being told.

As breakfast came to an end, the Twits tried to make a hasty escape upstairs. They were stopped dead in their tracks by Ms. Weasley. 'And where do you think you're going, boys?' she asked in a pleasant but hard voice. The Twins turned around, trying to look shocked. 'I believe you have some work to finish. Last time I checked, you weren't finished cleaning up the attic, where you?' The eyes of Molly Weasley flashed dangerously.

'Dear Mum,' Fred Weasley said in a sing-like voice. He spread his arms. 'How lovely of you to point that out.' George took over. 'Yes, we are delighted to see that you haven't forgotten our beautiful attic and it's unholy Gaul. We have business to do, as you are surely aware of. We are grown men.' Fred nodded eagerly. 'Big, big business, Mum. We will just get upstairs and…'

'Now!' Molly yelled. The Twins yelped and ran upstairs. Ginny and Ron were openly laughing, and Arthur looked amused as well. Harry didn't smile, but he had to admit that it had been funny to watch the Twins get what they deserved. They had clearly found their match in Molly Weasley.

'What can I do Ms. Weasley?' Harry asked. 'I don't mind to help. I'm used to work. My relatives made me do a lot of choruses at their home.' He felt another pang of sudden grief, but he suppressed it. He didn't want to look weak in the eyes of the Weasleys. He kept his face neutral. Molly seemed surprised that a boy of sixteen would so willingly volunteer for a chorus. She secretly wished her other sons would be more willing like Harry, although she also knew the sad reasons behind his working attitude. For what seemed the thousandths time, she silently cursed the Dursleys for what they had done to the loving boy over the years. He didn't deserve any of it.

'Why don't you help Ron degnome the garden?' Ms. Weasley asked him. He nodded eagerly. Ron sulked as he heard that he had to do choruses yet again. Harry, however, didn't mind. He was used to hard work and was eager to see how the Gnomes would get to their feet again after they had tossed them over the fence. Both boys made their way outside, into the warm morning sun that already promised another sunny summer day. In silence they began hunting for Gnomes, who tried to hide themselves in the high grass and under the brushes. It wasn't long before a steady stream of Gnomes went flying over the wooden fence into the farm fields ahead.

'How are you doing mate?' Ron asked. He looked over at Harry, who was just tossing on of the Gnomes over the edge. Harry blinked and looked as his best friend. He could clearly see worry in Ron's eyes, and something that came close to determination. 'I'm fine,' he shrugged. 'It has been hard, but your family has been a great help. I feel loved here, like I belong here. Everybody is kind to me. Nobody tries to talk to me about Sirius or my relatives, and I like it that way. This is something that I have to do alone.'

Ron shook his head. Harry was still as stubborn as ever. He knew that he was not the person to ask questions however. Some people called Ron dim, but he had seen the way Harry and Ginny acted around each other. There was something going on there, but Ron doubted that Ginny or Harry had come to that realization just yet. He made another mental note to write a letter to Hermione, asking for advice. Hermione always knew what to do, he reflected. As he thought about his brushy-haired friend, Ron couldn't stop a smile spreading on his face. He was brought out of his thoughts as Harry smacked his head.

Harry smiled. 'What were you thinking about?' he asked curiously. 'You seemed really far away there.' Ron opened his mouth and closed it again as he fought against the tell-tale Weasley blush. 'Nothing,' he murmured. 'I … nothing, Harry, really.' A redness enveloped his ears. Harry grinned knowingly. He would bet a hundred Galleons on the fact that Ron Weasley had just been mesmerizing about one Hermione Granger. He had seen then fight and argue, and was coming to the conclusion that it was actually a romantic kind of flirting that was going on. But both were as clueless as they ever could be. _Maybe I need to change that coming year, _Harry mused. He began searching for another Gnome as an idea formed in the back of his mind.

The next few days were spend doing some choruses around the Burrow, playing Quidditch, laughing and talking. Harry was surprised about the amount of love and warmth he felt in the Burrow. Of course, he had stayed there before, but this was different. Now he felt part of a broader family. He felt loved, maybe for the first time in his life. It was a huge change in his life, but he knew instinctively that this was a good change. The Order had taken care of his use of underage magic at Privet Drive, talking to several department heads in the Ministry to stop minister Fudge from setting up another trial. Harry knew the Minister was in deep and growing trouble. Fudge faced a growing opposition movement within the Wizangamot and in the Departments. The press had been very harsh in attacking the Minister who had denied the return of Lord Voldemort. With every new Death Eater attack that took place, more people began calling for Fudge to be ousted from office. Harry could only read with grim satisfaction.

On the fifth day of his staying at the Burrow, Harry found himself alone with Ron and Ginny. They had just returned from an enervating play of Quidditch in the large Weasley garden and were eagerly awaiting dinner. As Molly called them down, they were surprised to see the entire Weasley family gathered at the large dining table. The smell of chicken and potatoes made Harry's stomach growl in eager anticipation. The cooking skills of Molly Weasley were legendary. As soon as they had filled their stomachs to breaking point, Arthur held up his hand to signal that he wanted to say something. The conversations around the table died down as all eyes focused on Mister Weasley.

'I would like to make use of his nice moment to congratulate our family,' Mr. Weasley said with a smile on his face. His eyes travelled to Harry. 'We have been in talks with the Ministry. They have agreed to grant myself and Molly custody over Harry until he turns seventeen. Which means that Harry is now an official part of this family.' His simple statement was met with a howl of approval. Ron slapped Harry on the back while Fred and George began to sing a crazy wizarding song. Ginny beamed at him.

Harry could hardly believe what he had heard. He looked at Molly and Arthur Weasley, his new guardians. His family. His mind repeated those words, words he had longed to heard for years. A smile appeared on his face as he looked at his new guardians. At his new home. 'Thank you,' he whispered, surprised at the amount of emotion in his voice. 'I can't tell you how much this means for me. I love being here. I love being at the Burrow. Somewhere, I've always thought of this house as my second home.' He smiled brightly. Molly and Arthur looked at each other. They both knew they had made the right decision as they felt the pure happiness radiate from Harry. Then, Molly saw Ginny. The youngest Weasley girl was beaming at Harry, her eyes bright. It seemed she was as moved as Harry himself was. Molly smiled knowingly. Once, she had thought of Ginny as her little girl. Now, she knew Ginny was growing up rapidly. And there was no better partner for Ginny than Harry Potter, Molly concluded. She had the feeling that it wouldn't be long before they would find that truth out themselves.

'You're more than welcome, dear,' she said to Harry. 'Let's go paint your room!'


	6. 5 A new experience

**5**

**A new experience **

As the large group arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Molly ushered them into the main avenue quickly. She, Bill, Remus and Tonks looked at the passing guests, trying to determine of anybody had ill intentions. Harry looked around as he entered Diagon Alley. It saddened him to see the largely empty street. Several stores were closed, others had their doors closed and their windows shut. Those people who were in the street moved along the edges, nervously glancing around as they made their shopping. The atmosphere was charged with worry and nervous anticipation.

Their first stop was the bookstore. The teenagers quickly purchased the needed items for their sixths year, and Ginny for her OWL studies. She glanced around nervously as she took one book after another. Harry could feel her worry and smiled. OWL's had been madness, but he had pulled through, just like his friends had. They had done well, he thought, although the final results were only coming in another two weeks. He could almost see the worry in the eyes of Hermione as she paced in her room, worrying about her near-perfect exam scores. The vision brought a smile to his face.

They spent the hour getting new robes, ink, paper, toys for the pets and some Quidditch items. Ron was drooling over the new Firebolt 2 series, the newest broom in the market. His eyes shone, but as they read the price of a thousand Galleons, his demeanor closed and he dropped his eyes. Harry filed it away in the back of his mind and smiled. He bought himself two dragon-hide boots that were magically strengthened to withstand any cold or rain. As they stepped outside, a cold wind made them shiver for a moment.

'I need to go to my vault,' Harry said. 'I need more money. But the wards around the Potter Vault are very strong. I doubt it would be wise to take to many people with me towards the bank.' He shrugged. He was happy that Sirius had told him about the wards in his fourth year. Now that he was becoming of age rapidly, it wouldn't be long before he would bring people into danger if they came to close to his family vault. He saw the warring emotions on the face of Ms. Weasley. She wanted to come, and didn't feel ready to let him go. But Harry was old and wise enough to make his own choices, she reasoned. 'Alright then,' she gave in. 'But I still don't feel good about it. Not … not now.' She looked around at the half-empty alley and shivered.

'Can I go with Harry?' Ginny begged her mum. 'I promise we will be back as soon as possible. We will be safe.' Molly Weasley furrowed her brow as the thought about her daughters words. Part of her still felt as though Ginny would need her protection. Another part, a larger part, however, reasoned that Ginny was quickly growing up and becoming the woman she was meant to be. 'Alright then,' she sighted defeated. 'You can go with Harry. But I warn you two, of your not back in one hour, we will come looking for you. Understood?' Both teenagers nodded in eager anticipation.

Harry and Ginny left the group and went towards Gringots. The wizarding bank loomed large over Diagon Alley. At the entrance, Aurors were posted. Their robes billowed in the wind as their hard eyes searched everybody entering the bank. One of their hands was on their wand holder. Harry looked in awe at the figures standing guard. He had dreamed of becoming an Auror himself. Now he saw what that meant. He would be defending the wizarding world, defending everything that was dear to him. He would be defending his home. He nodded silently as they passed one of the Aurors.

Once inside, they made their way towards one of the large desks. A Goblin looked up from his paperwork and smiled. 'Mister Potter,' he said. 'How nice to see you again. Can I help you?' His eyes glistered as he spoke, as if he knew a joke that only Goblins would understand. Harry nervously looked up and nodded. 'I want to go too my vault with Ms. Weasley,' he inclined his head towards Ginny. 'I need money for the coming school year.'

The Goblin looked at Ginny. He nodded after a few seconds. 'That shouldn't be a problem,' he acknowledged. 'I will call a rider for you. One moment.' Harry and Ginny waited in silence until the Goblin returned with one of his colleagues. 'This is Sharptooth,' he said, nodding towards the rider. 'He will take the two of you down to the vaults. Have a nice trip at Gringots.'

Sharptooth took them towards the side entrance. As soon as the passed, Harry felt the cold of the wards protecting the bank. He smiled. He was happy that the Goblins had anticipated attacks on the back from Death Eaters or anyone who had harm in mind against the Goblins. They stepped into one of the waiting carts. Sharptooth grinned at them, his eyes twinkling. 'Ready for a rough ride?' he said in a low voice. Both Harry and Ginny nodded and gripped the sides of the softly humming cart tightly.

The ride to the Potter Vault was long and fast. Ginny and Harry smiled all the way down. They had seldom been in Gringots without their parents or guardians, so the ride in the cart felt like a liberation of sorts. As the cart pulled to a halt, Sharptooth got out. 'The Potter Vault,' he said as he walked towards the door. 'A very old vault, indeed. Generation after generation of the Potter family has been faithful to Gringots. And we are happy to help.' The Goblin took out a long brown key and worked his magic in the massive door. Ginny and Harry waited patiently until the security wards were downed, before entering the vault. Harry had been there before. He knew what to expect. For Ginny however, stepping into the vault seemed like stepping into a fairytale from her wildest dreams. Piles and piles of gold, silver and copper shined. In other corners, rich furniture, paintings, jewels and massive tapestries were piled almost to the ceiling.

'This is amazing,' Ginny beamed as she looked around. 'Never in my life have I seen this much gold in one place. You are rich, Harry!' She smiled at him. She had always known that the Potter family was well-paid, but she had not believed that Harry possessed this amount of money. Not that it mattered to her. Harry would be Harry no matter how much gold he could drag along. The person was always more important than wealth, her mother had told her on several occasions. She had taken the lesson to heart.

'Thank you,' Harry said grinning as he looked around. 'I don't think about it that often, to be honest. There are more important things than money in the world.' For a fraction of a second, his eyes locked with Ginny. Then his eyes were drawn towards a large box standing on a golden desk. His eyes widened. He had never before seen that item. As he walked towards it, Ginny followed him, her eyes just as wide as his. Harry slowly took the box and opened it. Inside, he found two large rings. One was fiery red, the other molten brown. Both rings were excellently made and crafted. They shone with power. 'What are those?' Ginny asked softly, her voice an impressed whisper.

Harry looked at the two rings. Memories flashed in his head. He was flying on a tiny broom in a dark living room, laughing with joy. He could hear the voice of Sirius telling his father how Harry would surely be a natural at flying. James laughed too. As the scene shifted, Harry saw his mother. She was smiling and reading a book. On her right hand, the red ring shone brightly in the light of a comforting fire. Harry shook his head, returning to the here and now. 'These are my parents engagement rings,' he said softly. 'Dumbledore must have brought them here after … you know.' He shrugged.

Ginny placed a comforting arm on his shoulder. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered. 'Can I see the ring?' Harry nodded. Ginny took out the red ring. A warmth spread towards her arm. She smiled. 'It's a nice ring,' she said and laughed 'Somehow I feel like saying it matches my hear, you know.'

Harry laughed too. He shook his head as he took his father's ring from the box. Without thinking about it, he putt the ring on his right hand. It fitted, like it was made for him personally. Ginny did the same on her right hand. As their eyes locked once more, both gasped. Magic was quickly building up inside the both of them. The ground shook. For a moment, Harry was afraid that Death Eaters had somehow been able to curse the rings. He dismissed the thoughts. This did not feel like black or dark magic. This felt good. He closed his eyes as the magic raced through his body. Emotions flooded him, mirroring his own. Warmth spread into his heart as the shaking stopped.

_What the hell just happened? _His thoughts tumbled around as he slowly regained his balance. _I don't know Harry. _The voice of Ginny filled his mind. His eyes widened as he looked at Ginny, who was staring back at him with eyes just as wide as his own. 'Wow,' Harry said. 'I think we need to talk.' Ginny nodded as they quickly made their way out of the Potter Vault.

Albus Dumbledore looked up from his paperwork. He furrowed his brow as he looked towards the window. He had felt the flare of magic like a bright flame lighting the sky. He could feel the raw power. His eyes shone as he quickly made his way towards the instruments humming on his large desk. He checked several of them and breathed a sigh of relief. There hadn't been some large Death Eater attack. This magic was different, not dark at all. Dumbledore, however, did not have any real answers ready.

He walked over to his Phoenix. Fawkes looked at him with knowing eyes. As a magical creature, he had without any doubt also felt the powerful burst of magic outside. 'I need you to alert the Order,' he said to the Phoenix. 'We need to have an urgent meeting. Tell everybody to come here as soon as they can.' Fawkes trilled a high note and disappeared in a raging ball of flames.

Dumbledore turned back towards the paperwork on his desk. He breathed slowly in and out. He had enough worries as it was. The war with Tom, the attacks on hundreds of Muggles, and a young boy named Harry Potter. Dumbledore knew that Harry was the key to winning this war. He would do everything he could to protect and shield the boy until the right time came. They had only one chance to defeat Tom Riddle, and that chance needed to be planned and cultivated in an orderly manner. That was the life task Dumbledore had put himself in, and he was determined to see if through to the end. Even if that meant that he had to defy the world to get Harry Potter under his firm hold. He smiled as he got back to reading the reports. He knew he had the right knowledge and the right way to win this war, and he would simply proceed as planned.


	7. 6 Conversations with Albus Dumbledore

**Regarding the reviews: **_I'm happy to see that this story is being followed. I'm honored and will update as soon as is humanly possible (with work and school). Concerning my grammar mistakes ... I'm Dutch, so English is not my mother tongue. It's always harder writing a story in another language. I will try to filter the chapters more, but I can't say I won't make grammar mistakes again :) Enjoy!_

**6**

**Conversations with Albus Dumbledore **

The Weasley's and Harry returned to the Burrow as the sun was already on its way towards the distant horizon. As the light of day slowly faded, the Weasley's went inside. Harry and Ginny stayed behind, sitting together on the steps leading to the front door. In silence, they watched the beautiful sunset. Ginny turned to Harry. 'Can we talk now?' she asked. 'About … you know.' She shrugged. Harry nodded and sighted. 'I have no idea,' he said honestly. 'I've never before heard of something that can cause people to communicate in their heads.'

Ginny grinned. It gave some rather interesting possibilities. 'Why don't we see if it's the rings of not?' she asked. 'We both take off our rings and try to communicate with our minds.' Harry nodded. Both of them took off their rings and looked intently at each other. Harry tried to send a thought to Ginny. Seconds passed in deadly silence. Just as Harry was about to exclaim that is were indeed the rings that had caused them to be able to communicate with their minds, he heard the soft voice of Ginny in his mind. _Harry? Harry, can you hear me? Harry? _Warm feelings washed in his body.

_I can hear you now Ginny, _Harry send back silently. He could see that his words were coming through as Ginny got a shocked look on her face. _I think this solves our little question, although I still have no idea about what this all is. _Ginny nodded as she heard his words in her mind, just as loud as if Harry was talking to her. The locked eyes again and smiled. Somehow, being able to communicate with each other without actually taking was wicked. They were already thinking about the possibilities. Suddenly, Ginny grinned deviously. 'Think of all the pranks we could pull on Fred and George,' she beamed. 'They won't know what's coming for them, that's one thing for sure.'

_They won't, _Harry agreed in his mind. _I think we can scare the hell out of them if we were to really try. Maybe Ron wants to help? _Ginny nodded enthusiastically. She had always dreamed of the moment that she could inflict payback on the Twins for the years of teasing and pranking. It didn't take Harry long to pick up on Ginny's line of thoughts. His smile broadened. 'They see themselves as kings,' Ginny explained. 'We need to dethrone them, I guess.'

Harry laughed. He had given the Twins the money they needed to start their own joke-shop in Diagon Alley, but he knew that both of the Twits thought themselves to be the best pranksters in the wizarding world. Maybe it was time to bring an end to that reputation. _We'll think of something Ginny, _he silently send to the girl sitting next to him, _but for now, I want to know more about this sudden connection. Not that I mind it, but I want to know what's happening to us. Why us?_

Ginny bit her lip. She knew she still had some feelings for Harry, buried deep in her heart. She looked at him. 'Maybe … maybe it's some kind of a Bond?' she said, her voice shy and uncertain. 'I've read about Bonds in Charms. It seems that two persons with a strong enough Bond can do things no other wizard could. Maybe that's what this is? I've certainly never heard of wizards being able to simply communicate in their minds before. You?'

Harry shook his head. He had even less knowledge of such things than Ginny did. She had grown up with magic. Harry just had a few years of experience in the magical words. He was still somewhat of an outsider. 'Maybe we should just wait and see,' he said in a low voice. 'Somehow, I dislike the idea of telling people about our … bond.' He looked at Ginny. His emotions soared. He knew he had a weak spot for Ginny. As soon as he had rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, he had felt the urge to defend Ginny. He hadn't acted on it for two years, but he had been aware of Ginny herself. Somehow, he reflected perplexed, she had always been there one way or another. It had just taken him several years to figure that out.

'Let's get inside,' he said. 'Your mum doesn't like it when we stay outside after sunset.' He took Ginny's hand without even thinking about it. Ginny blinked with her eyes and looked uncertain for a moment. Then, she smiled, nodded, and walked inside with Harry. They still held hands as they passed the living room. Molly Weasley watched the two teenagers depart towards the first floor, a knowing smile forming on her lips.

Molly Weasley watched as Albus Dumbledore made his way towards the front door of the Burrow. Her brows furrowed. Why would the Headmaster come to the Weasley home during the summer break? She silently vowed that if any of her children had done something stupid, they wouldn't live to see another school year arriving. 'Molly,' Dumbledore greeted her. 'Nice to see you. Can I come in, please?' Molly nodded and stepped aside.

Dumbledore took on the seats in the living room. He politely declined tea and waited till Molly was seated. From upstairs, they could hear laughing. 'The Twins,' Molly said with a smile. 'They promised to pull a prank on Ron. However, I think Ron already knew. It wouldn't surprise me if he teamed up with Harry and Ginny to turn the tables.'

Dumbledore grinned. He had been Headmaster long enough to recognize true potential. Both Ron and Ginny had it, as well as Harry. They were bright students, although sometimes a little lacking of proper respect for rules. But he had been like that himself in his younger years, Dumbledore reflected. 'I've come to speak with Harry,' he said. 'Is that wise?'

Molly nodded. 'He's coping rather well, I must say,' she admitted. 'Ginny and Ron have been a huge help for him.' Dumbledore nodded. He still felt that he needed to see for himself. Somehow, Harry was gifted in hiding his true colors. It had reminded Dumbledore of Tom Riddle a bit. However, Harry had never shown any tendency to use his gifts for his own gains or darker purposes.

'Albus?' Dumbledore looked up at Molly's voice. She looked uncomfortable. 'What was that magical explosion yesterday? I'm sure you've felt it too.' She bit her lip and shrugged. 'I hope it's got nothing to do with You-Know-Who?'

Dumbledore shook his head. 'We believe it didn't,' he explained. 'Some people of the Order are already investigating. It won't be long before we will have some answers. We already know it was not dark magic. Rather, it was something we have never felt before. I don't know, but I dare to say that Death Eaters are trying to find out what happened just as much as we do. It's a race. Who gets to the answers first?' The old men grinned. He had always liked a challenge, and a mystery even more so. 'Could you please get Harry, Molly? I'm really sorry, but even during summer breaks, I have a tight schedule.' Molly nodded, still not completely calmed down, and made her way upstairs to get the boy that she was beginning to see as her seventh son.

Ginny and Harry were still talking about the failed prank of Fred and George. The Twins had been devious, but Ron had already known. Harry himself had quickly switched the hexed cookies on the plate, so that Fred and George had eaten their own prank. Within five seconds both had turned into little birds, yellow and ugly green. _That was a lot of fun to do, _he send to Ginny. _We need to do things like that more often. They deserve it. _Ginny laughed and nodded. 'They do,' she said. 'And with our little secret, I'm sure were able to pull it off a second time.' In her large brown eyes twinkled a devious light. Harry smiled. He had always liked looking into her eyes. It made him feel at peace.

A knock on the door made both teenagers stand up. Ms. Weasley opened the door and smiled. 'Professor Dumbledore is downstairs Harry,' she said in a kind voice. 'He wants a quick word with you, if that's alright?' Harry nodded. He hadn't thought that much about the old Headmaster since the beginning of the summer. 'It's alright,' he said, and then turned to Ginny. _I'll be back soon, I promise. _Ginny nodded, a tight smile on her lips.

Harry walked into the room. Dumbledore rose and greeting him, a warm smile on his lips. As Harry sat himself down next to the Headmaster, he could feel Ginny sending him support. His smile broadened somewhat. 'How are you doing Harry?' the Headmaster asked in a pleasant voice.

'I'm fine Professor,' Harry said. 'I've been busy these last few weeks.' He didn't want to talk to Dumbledore about the death of his relatives. He had found it surprisingly easy to cope with it, considering his heated response after the death of Sirius a year earlier. 'I think I should also apologize … you know … for almost breaking down your office.' He shrugged and lowered his eyes.

Dumbledore chuckled. 'No need,' he said jovially. 'I had too many stuff anyways. See it as a nice way to help me clear it. Now.' The old Headmaster bowed his head, his eyes looking intently at Harry. 'We should discuss some rather important things. You know the Prophecy. You know what you need to do when the time comes. I've come here to offer you help, Harry. I want to train you coming school year in Defense and Charms.' He grinned. 'I was once a Charms teacher myself, so that shouldn't be a problem.'

Harry was awed. He had always looked up to Dumbledore as some kind of a grandfather figure. Now, the old wizened wizard would be training him. A huge grin spread on his face. 'I would like that,' he said earnestly. 'Somehow, I doubt Voldemort will wait another year before trying to get to me. It has become somewhat of a ritual.' He shook his head.

Dumbledore nodded. 'We can already see the signs,' he acknowledged. 'The attack on Privet Drive was well carried out. They had obviously been watching out for you, which means that they will have eyes and ears in other places to. The world is not as safe as it used to be. Tom needs to be stopped, and it seems you're the one to do it. So, myself and the Order will help you any way we can, Harry. I promise.' The Headmaster smiled. Harry could feel the approval of Ginny through their link. _You can do it Harry, _her voice whispered to him. _I know you can. If anybody is able to beat the living hell out of that freak, it's you. _Harry smiled as the warmth in his chest grew.

Dumbledore had watched Harry intently during their little talk. He had not known what to expect when he had arrived at the Burrow. In the past, Harry had been extremely sensitive when it came to the war and his relatives. He had steeled himself towards the idea of a broken Harry, a person devoid of emotions who tried desperately to cope. What he had not expected was a jovial young man who didn't seem all to burdened by prophesies, deaths and war.

'Well then, that's settled.' Dumbledore rose. 'I should warn you Harry. Be on your guard. Yesterday, the Order picked up a huge explosion of magic. We don't think it was Tom, but we should never let our guard down.' He shook his head. 'We're still trying to find out what caused that huge magical outburst.' Harry nodded. An idea formed in his mind, and he could feel Ginny approving. They had felt the magical outburst as they putt on the rings. Again, he didn't say a word to the Headmaster. He waved the old man out and then returned to his room, talking in total silence with Ginny about their growing bond.


	8. 7 Mayhem at Kings Cross Station

**7**

**Mayhem at Kings Cross Station **

The First of September dawned in chaos as the large Weasley family tried to organize itself enough to make the trip to London. They were all cramped into a Ministry car. Luckily, it was magically enlarged to accommodate them all. Still, it was a tight travel towards London. Four Aurors were waiting for them as they quickly crossed the station towards the hidden gate. Behind the gate, the Hogwarts Express would await them for a new ride to school. Harry could already feel the anticipation building within him. Hogwarts had always been his home, the place where he had learned what he was.

_Calm down Harry, _Ginny said in a smiling voice. _I know how you feel, but this way you're making me all giddy. _Harry looked over at Ginny and saw the fun in her eyes. He grinned back. They inched closer towards each other. It seemed that the drew more comfort the closer they were to one another. Harry had discovered that aspect of their bond only recently. Both didn't object, as they felt totally at ease with one another. Harry could already hardly comprehend a life without the presence of Ginny in the back of his mind.

One of the Aurors nodded to them. 'All safe and clear,' he said with a smile. 'You should hurry. The train will be about to depart by now.' He looked bored, as if he didn't want to be here. Harry looked at the other Aurors. He had dreamed of becoming an Auror himself. He still did. Somehow, the Aurors he saw looked like dangerous killing machines, ready to spring into action at any point of anything dangerous would arise.

The Weasley clan made their way towards the train. Many students were already preparing to board, hugging their relatives. A cry drew Harry's attention. He saw Hermione standing with her parents. The girl hurried towards them. She hugged Harry, Ginny, and Ron too. Ron mumbled something and seemed uncomfortable as Hermione hugged him. A red blush crept up his neck and ears. Harry and Ginny grinned knowingly to each other. 'How are you?' she squealed. 'You're all looking good. You too, Ron. Seriously, stop fidgeting with your trousers!' She smiled as she said it, and Ron smiled back. The eyes of the two teens stayed locked for several seconds. The rest of the Weasley family was already going their own way, talking to people they knew.

'Something's wrong,' Ginny whispered. 'I can feel it.' Harry nodded his head, looking up and down the train station. Everything seemed normal, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of dreaded anticipation building up in his chest. _We need to be careful. _His mind-voice was filled with worry. Ginny took his hand and squeezed softly. It calmed Harry down immediately. He had already established the fact that this was due to the bond with Ginny. He smiled at her again, and felt the warmth in his chest sore. He blinked with his eyes. Somehow, a rational park of his mind had already decided that he liked Ginny. He denied those feelings to himself. Ginny was a good friend, but not his girlfriend. Her crush on him had long ago dissolved. He turned his mind back towards the here and know, not knowing what else to do. He was not used to feelings of closeness and love. He had never received those before.

A sudden warming screamed in his mind. Ginny looked around too, feeling the same feeling. The dread rose. _Is this the Bond? _Ginny asked him. _I think so, _Harry replied, still looking around. Something was very wrong. _I don't think we should ignore it. Maybe we should tell your Mum and Dad. _As he was about to speak up, the sounds of apparition sounded in the station.

Black-cloaked figures appeared out of nowhere. Alarms bleared as students and their families turned towards the sudden danger. Somebody screamed. Then, the Death Eaters began hurling curses towards anybody in their sight. Aurors and parents began fighting back with everything they could. Ron and Hermione dove for cover and cursed. 'How did they penetrate the wards?' Hermione asked with wide eyes as another hex flew harmlessly over her head. Memories from the Department of Mysteries returned to her. 'I have no idea,' Ron said as he fired a blasting hex. 'We need to take cover. This is getting nasty.' Both teenagers nodded and crawled towards the exit of the station, where fighting was relatively subdued. It would give them a good firing position. Ron shielded Hermione as best as he could. He silently vowed to himself that he would not let any harm come over the girl. Further away, near the train, he saw Neville and several other students organize members of the DA into a fighting squad. They were already firing towards the Death Eaters that were trying to take the entrances of the train, where students were still trapped.

As Death Eaters apparated into the station, Harry dove towards Ginny. Together, they took cover behind one of the benches. Curses started flying as students went down screaming. Harry cursed the seven fates and drew his want. His green eyes met the determined brown eyes of Ginny, who was sitting next to him. _Together? _Ginny nodded and steeled herself. Both teens got up and walked towards the mayhem.

Kingsley Shacklebolt blocked a curse and shot back stunners. The Death Eaters were slowly gaining ground near the train, attacking a group of sixth years students who had erected a shield. They laughed as another student got struck down by some deep purple curse. Kingsley was about to fire back when a new presence made itself known. He turned around and his eyes widened. Harry and Ginny were calmly walking towards the Death Eaters. He could feel magic pulsing in the air. What surprised him most was the calm demeanor of the two.

He saw Molly and Arthur Weasley turn around. Both parents looked shocked to their bones to see Harry and Ginny calmly walking towards the fray. As they reacted, Harry and Ginny raised their wands. Harry looked towards the five Death Eaters that had turned around to greet them. Anger rose in him. He felt the anger reflected in Ginny. Those people had killed students. Those monsters had tried their hardest to make their lives a living hell. They would not live to see the day they could regret their actions. 'Let's give them hell,' Harry growled in a low voice. Ginny nodded. Both began to fire of a stream of curses. Momentarily, Harry was surprised by the power their curses had, but he focused his complete mind on protecting Ginny and disabling as many Death Eaters that he could.

Kingsley watched in awe as Harry and Ginny moved like a well oiled machine. He had not thought that the teens would possess such fighting skills. Their curses were well-aimed and took out one after another Death Eater. Three were already down, just as a curse coming from Ginny blew the shield of a fourth Death Eater into a thousand pieces.

Harry felt Ginny beside him. Somehow, the presence of his bond-mate gave him a calm feeling. It was like he wasn't fighting for his life. He took another Death Eater out with a stunner and looked around momentarily. Then his eyes locked with another person. Bellatrix Lestrange smiled deviously as she used the Cruciatus Curse on a student. The girl was young and couldn't be more than thirteen years old. A second years with no way to defend herself. White anger cursed through him. Ginny felt the surge of emotions in her bond-mate and turned around to look at him. Then she too saw Bellatrix. 'That bitch,' she growled, her eyes glowing.

'Harry Potter!' Bellatrix laughed insanely. 'Enjoying the view?' The again cursed the girl, who withered on the ground screaming. Harry could hear the screams in his heart and soul. 'Let her go!' he bellowed. Bellatrix just smiled at him. 'Come here to save the girl? You did a terribly job of saving your dead godfather, didn't you boy?' She laughed again, menacing and insane.

_Stay calm Harry, _Ginny urged him. _We can take her down, but we need to keep fighting with our heads. Together? _Harry took a deep breath and nodded. He knew that charging in by himself would spell disaster. He had learnt that lesson the hard way at the Ministry of Magic. 'Together,' he whispered. Both he and Ginny raised their wands in unison, trailing them on Bellatrix. The female Death Eater was not laughing anymore. Instead, she lifted the torturing curse from the girl and faced her two opponents.

The duel began. Harry fired every curse he knew, while Ginny concentrated on shielding them both from counter fire. Bellatrix frowned. She had obviously thought that beating the two teens would require minimal efforts. However, she was quickly coming to the conclusion that both teens were well-trained and able to fight off her dark magic. She scowled and fired another curse, more powerful this time. Ginny took a step back. Harry quickly shielded her and fired another blasting hex that broke up part of the wall behind Bellatrix. Dust rose into the air. Ginny fired another stunner which the Death Eater blocked. Both teens pressed and began firing one after another. Bellatrix had no choice but to retreat towards the entrance of the train station, shielding herself. Ginny and Harry could feel the others grim determination and growing power. The bond seemed to pulse in their minds.

Suddenly, Bellatrix dove to the right. She fired a blasting hex towards the back of Bill Weasley. Bill was thrown several meters and slammed onto the ground. He did not get back up. Ginny screamed, losing her concentration for a moment as she watched her brother being blow forwards. Bellatrix took the opportunity to fire a Killing Curse towards them. Harry pushed Ginny to the ground and narrowly avoided the dreaded curse, which slammed into the train. Bellatrix began firing other dark hexes, which Harry and Ginny shielded. However, they had lost the initiative to the Death Eater.

Another curse narrowly missed Bellatrix. Arthur Weasley was charging towards them, followed by two Ministry Aurors. Both Aurors began battling Bellatrix and drove the witch back a few steps. Arthur knelt in front of them. 'Are you two alright?' he asked, worry in his eyes. Both nodded and stood up. 'Is Bill alright?' Ginny said in a small voice.

'He is,' Arthur said and smiled softly. 'He's had a blow to his head, but he's not in any danger. We are already evacuating him. You need to get out of here. We have made portkeys.' He took an old paper from his pocket. Just as he was about to give it to the two teens, screams from the station drew their attention. Harry's eyes went wide. Voldemort himself was slowly walking towards them, a menacing grin on his face. One brave Auror charged towards the Dark Lord, only to fall victim to a Killing Curse within seconds. Voldemort hadn't even looked in the direction of the fallen man and had not broken his stride. His entire body seemed to radiate dark power and menace.

'Here!' Arthur screamed at them. 'The portkey. Get out of here. It will take you towards the Hogwarts gates. Go!' He fired another stunner towards a Death Eater. People were disappearing from the station. Some apparated away, others were taken by portkeys. Several wounded students were being transported by member of the Order. Others kept on fighting to slow down the Death Eaters. Harry and Ginny nodded. Ron and Hermione appeared from the dust. Ron had a nasty looking cut on his right arm while Hermione had a brown eye. Both were able to walk, however. They gripped the portkey tightly. Within seconds, Harry felt the sensation of being pulled behind his stomach. The last thing he saw was the Death Eaters firing of curses, whilst members of the Order and the Ministry were trying to retake the barrier entrance. Voldemort looked surprised for a moment, and then rage consumed his face. 'Potter!' he bellowed. But Harry and his friends had already escaped the Dark Lord's wrath.


	9. 8 A subdued Hogwarts feast

**8**

**A subdued Hogwarts feast**

They landed hard on the stone tiles of the road leading towards the gates of Hogwarts castle. Around them, other students got on their feet. Harry got up first and looked around. Injured students were carried towards the entrance. He saw Madame Pomphrey already tending to the injured. Professors were standing guard, watching the surrounding land. He saw Professor Sprout murmuring some kind of spell on the gates, which glowed green for a moment.

'Harry! Ginny!' The looked around to see Neville walking towards them. The young man favored his right leg. His face was covered with dust. Behind him came Luna Lovegood, Parvati Patill and two younger students. All of them seemed to have escapes the Death Eaters without serious injuries. Professor Flitwick was already on his way to intercept them. 'Get inside the caste kids,' he said in his high voice. 'It's not safe here. Hurry up!' The students walked towards the gates, where more Aurors were standing guard. Harry and his friends passed through the gates and walked in silence towards the castle. Harry felt empty. He had fought, and he had disabled Death Eaters, but it hadn't been enough. He had seen dead bodies. Students. Ginny gripped his hand firmly. _We can do this Harry, _she told him in his mind, _we have to keep fighting. We have hope. We have friends and family. Don't push that away because of the war, because if you do, Voldemort has already won his greatest victory. _Harry squeezed her hand. He felt better because of Ginny. He didn't want to let go. He pushed his emotions away, but held Ginny's hand until they were inside the castle, walking along with hundreds of fellow students.

The Great Hall was covered in black. Black banners hung down from the walls to commemorate the students that had been killed in Death Eater raids. Most students looked around and shifted uncomfortable. The war that they had all been reading about in the Daily Prophet suddenly seemed to come very near, like a huge snake readying itself to strike. Even the normally cool and hateful Slytherens seemed more silent and subdued this evening.

Harry had his friends made their way towards the Gryffindor table. Most of their housemates had already seated themselves. Conversation was short and soft, like nobody wanted to break the mourning silence in the castle. The food on the tables was already being served. Harry guessed that the Professors wanted the students to be well-fed after what they had to endure during the chaos on Kings Cross Station. Once again, Harry wondered if people of the Order had died. He hated not knowing the facts.

Ginny seated herself next to Harry. She did not want to be separated from him. Not now, not after what happened. She knew Harry was struggling with his emotions. She could feel the shroud of bitterness and guilt through their bond. She bit her lip. Hesitantly, she send her love and compassion towards him. She had never before attempted to send him feelings with a conscious thought. Harry's eyes widened as he felt the emotions coming through the bond. They calmed him down within seconds. For a second he looked over towards the red-haired girl sitting next to him. 'Thank you,' he whispered. 'I needed that.'

'No problem Harry,' Ginny whispered back. Further words were cut off because Ron and Hermione arrived, getting seats opposite them.

Harry looked over towards the Slytheren table. He could see Draco Malfoy whispered urgently with Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. Intuitively, he could tell that they were planning something. A grim mood settled over him. Ginny sensed the sudden change in demeanor of her … her what? She shook her head and looked over towards the Slytheren table. She nodded knowingly. 'They are planning something,' she whispered to Harry. 'I can feel how your mood changed just now. Don't think about it Harry. We already have enough on our plates as it is.'

Harry looked at her and smiled. Ginny returned the smile, feeling fuzzy and warm, like it was Christmas. Harry was the only person in the world who could make her feel that way. Wanted. Loved. Being somebody who was worth hanging around with because of whom she was, not whom she knew. _I really like that smile of yours Harry James Potter, _she mentally send in a playing voice. _Is this one of your many hidden powers? _Harry blinked and looked uncertain. For a fraction of a second she thought that she had said something wrong. Then the brilliant smile returned on his face. _Of course, Ginny. You know that I am full of surprises lately. _Both grinned.

Hermione watched Harry and Ginny closely. She was no fool. She had seen their performance at the station. She had seen the way the two of them worked together like a well-oiled machine. Something was nagging inside her mind, but she couldn't grasp it just yet. She knew that something about the two of them had changed. Her eyes shifted to Ron. He seemed oblivious, only concerned about the food he was stuffing in his mouth. A small smile appeared on her lips. She would need to scold him again, she thought, but somehow that thought made her feeling warm. Ron was a nice guy to hang around. He was actually really smart and knowing, once something of interest crossed his path.

_I need to find out what's going on between them, _she thought. _Maybe I can help them. _Her books had never before let her down. She trusted in the power of clear, rational knowledge. She always had. But Ron, Ron was a different case. The feelings she had for the red-haired boy did not abide to logical laws. They were swirling, mysterious and more than a little bit exciting. And she had no idea how to address them. Ron seemed as oblivious as always. Hermione sighted and returned to her own food. This should be an interesting year.

Dumbledore stood up. The subdued talk in the Great Hall died out altogether as all eyes fixed on the old Headmaster. Dumbledore looked around. 'Welcome back students,' he said in a grave voice. 'You have witnessed first-hand the trouble we face. The attack at Kings Cross Station has left five students dead.' The voice of the Headmaster was tired, and his face was devoid of any humor. 'They will always be remember. I would like to make a toast to their lives.'

All students toasted. Several people had tears on their faces. They had lost friends, dorm-mates or classmates. Harry looked around. He felt a pang of anger and loss. Voldemort had struck them again, and again the light in people's eyes had dimmed a little further. The madman had to be stopped. By Harry. He knew that he could not outrun his destiny. The problem was, he had no idea how he should stop Voldemort from attacking Muggles and wizards alike. He was not a bright or extremely powerful wizard. He was just plain Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, who survived because other people – his parents, Cedric, Sirius – had sacrificed themselves for his life.

Ginny gripped his hand. Together they were silent, taking comfort in one another. After a minute or two, Dumbledore nodded. 'Thank you,' he said in a grave voice. 'I hope you are all well-fed. Professor McGonagall will hand you your schedule for lessons. I should remind everybody that the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden. Some of our students would do well to take notice of that fact.' Harry swore he saw Dumbledore looking over at the Gryffindor table for a fraction of a second. He shifted uncomfortably. 'Second, I would like to tell you that items from the Weasley joke-shop are listed as forbidden.' He didn't sound that bothered, and the eyes of the Headmaster were twinkling again.

The stern-looking McGonagall walked towards Gryffindor table. She handed out the schedules one by one. Some people reacted elated, other groaned and closed their eyes for a moment. Harry took his schedule. He had a free period on Monday morning and Friday afternoon. He mentally send his schedule to Ginny, who nodded. She had a free day on Friday. Harry smiled. Just as he was about to putt his schedule away, a small letter fell out from the back. Harry blinked, took the letter and read it quickly.

_Harry,_

_Meet me tomorrow evening at seven in my office. We have a lot to talk about, and even more to do. The password is 'lemoncake'. Take your wand with you._

_Dumbledore_

Harry eyed the small paper with anticipation. This was the start of the training Dumbledore had promised him. This was what would make the difference in the war that was brewing outside the walls of the castle. Ron, Hermione and Ginny read the small letter and looked shocked. 'Private lessons from old Dumbledore himself,' Ron said. 'Blimey, Harry, can it get any better? I'm sure Dumbledore known a hundred hexes that we've never heard of before.'

Harry nodded weakly. His thoughts returned to the battles he had fought. At Privet Drive, where his relatives had been killed. At Kings Cross Station, were some students were killed. He had not been powerful enough. Determination welled up inside him. It had been enough. Voldemort had committed himself to dark magic, to countless innocent victims. He was no longer human. He had to be killed, because he would not understand the concept of mercy. The man was way past any mercy or feeling.

'I will do it,' Harry whispered, more to himself than to the friends that were listening to him with wide eyes. 'I will kill him. I can't run away anymore. No more people have to die because of what I need to do.' He stood up and hurried towards the common room, passing groups of subdued students that were talking softly to each other.

When he was in the common room, he sank down onto a sofa and stared in the fire. Minutes later, his friends entered. Ron and Hermione were about to get to Harry, when Ginny shook her head. 'Let me do it,' she said in a strong voice. 'I can help him.' Her eyes blazes as Ron opened his mouth to protest. Hermione looked over at Harry. She remembered the effect Ginny had on him. She had seen it at the subdued feast in the Great Hall. 'Alright,' she said. 'Come on Ron, we have some talk to do.' She dragged Ron with her towards the stairs of the boy dormitories. Ginny walked over to Harry and set down. _Alright there? _She looked at him. _Harry?_

Harry looked over at Ginny. He did not want to talk, but he couldn't give his bond-mate the silent treatment. Not her. 'I … I need to do more Ginny. I'm tired of staying behind. I'm tired of people getting killed because they feel the need to protect me.' His tortured green eyes turned to Ginny. 'I can't do it anymore. I don't want to lose more people. I want it to end, Ginny, I want it to end so I can just for once have a normal life.' Even when he spoke, he could feel how much Ginny cared through their bond. The feelings of warmth and protection washed over him. Ginny took him in her arms. He didn't object. Ginny would refuse to let him go anyway, he knew that much.

'It will be okay Harry,' she said softly. 'You need to sleep. We will talk more. I'm here for you, alright?' Harry nodded. It felt good, being held by Ginny. Somehow, the war and his destiny seemed so much farther away once he opened up to the red-haired girl beside him. He felt sleep growing on him, his mind surrendering slowly to his exhaustion after an intense battle.

Harry drifted off to sleep. Ginny smiled and kept holding him. It felt good to hold him like this, like he was just a normal teenager boy without the burden of the world on his shoulders. Just as she was about to get up, she heard Harry whisper. 'I love you Ginny.' Ginny stiffened. With wide eyes, she looked down at Harry. He seemed asleep. Maybe he had said things that he didn't know he would have said, she thought. It was likely. But still, hearing those words ignited a flame in her chest. 'I will keep you safe,' she whispered. 'I will kill if I have to, Harry, but you're not alone in this. I love you.' In his sleep, Harry sighted contently.


	10. 9 The Power of Emotion

**9**

**The Power of Emotion**

Harry climbed the steps towards Dumbledore's office. He knocked on the door and entered. The office looked exactly like it had before Harry had smashed it up. His guilt rose as he cleared his throat, looking around. Dumbledore smiled. 'As good as knew, as you can see Harry,' he said in a warm voice. 'Come in, come in.'

Harry walked into the room. Dumbledore was busy with a humming instrument. Harry had no idea what it was. He waited in silence as the old Headmaster seemed to study the object with great interest. As the minutes passed by, Harry cleared his throat. He was becoming highly uncomfortable standing in the middle of the Headmaster's office.

'Professor,' Harry said. 'Ah, Harry,' Dumbledore said and waved him in. 'Have a seat, dear boy. I was already waiting for you. Lemon drop?' He offered Harry the candy. Harry took one and smiled at the old man. Dumbledore always made him feel like a grandson who was loved. It was why he loved the old man so much.

'What are we going to do?' Harry asked. He was dying to know. 'How are you going to train me to … to kill Voldemort.' The words still felt foreign on his tongue.

Dumbledore looked at him with sharp eyes. 'We will do two things,' he explained in a deep voice. 'One part is training, the other part is learning. We will do that each and every time you are here with me, which is once a week. We have no time to loose.' Dumbledore looked towards his desk, where the Pensive stood. 'We will return to the past, viewing memories from the young Tom Riddle. We will see his growing into Lord Voldemort, and try to think on what caused him to survive the Killing Curse. We will see if we can find any weaknesses in Voldemort's thinking and fighting. The training part will mostly be increasing your strength. We will also start working on wandless magic and some basic fighting skills.'

Harry nodded. He had figured out that much on himself already. It surprised him, however, that they would be taking trips to the past to see the rise of Lord Voldemort firsthand. Such knowledge might come in handy in the future, he knew that. 'Alright,' he said. He stood up and walked to the Pensive. 'Let's do this.' Dumbledore nodded.

Harry took a deep breath and went into the Pensive.

_Tom Riddle was sitting in the classroom. He looked bored, as if he didn't want to be there. His eyes followed every move of the Professor, who Harry did not recognize. The old professor was droning on about hexes and how to deflect them, and Harry recognized that he was watching a lesson of Defense Against the Dark Arts. His gaze shifted to Riddle again. The boy could be no more than fifteen years old, but already Harry could feel traces of darkness in the boy. His eyes were to tight, to closed, and a cold chill crept over his back._

'_Now,' the old wizard said. 'Pair up. I want you to duel, just like you've read in the textbook. Only minor hexes!' He paired up the class. Riddle was coupled with a young witch with long black hair. She smiled at him, but Tom didn't smile back. His body was guarded, his wand in his hand. His eyes flamed dangerously as a smile smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Harry resisted the urge to scream a warning._

'_Begin!' the old wizard said. The witch fired of a Stunner. Tom blocked it easily with a shield charm and began firing back. His wand movements were fast and accurate, his gaze concentrated. The girl took a step back, and then another. She was no match for him. Riddle disarmed her. The duel should have stopped. The girl was already opening her mouth to congratulate him, clearly happy that the duel was over._

'_Not so fast,' Riddle whispered. His voice was cold, like a snake. 'I have the right to claim my … victory.' His smile was feral. He muttered a curse and the young girl collapsed on the ground. She was clearly in pain, her eyes closed. Her arms and legs trashed. Harry knew it was not the Cruciatus Curse, but it was obviously something dark. _

'_Stop it! Merlin's beard, what's going on here! Riddle?' The old Professor was stepping towards them with wide eyes. In a second, Riddle had lifted the curse of the girl, who was panting and only half-conscious on the floor of the classroom. Her eyes were closed._

'_Sorry Professor,' Riddle said in a soft but cold voice. 'I must've made a mistake. It was not my intention to harm her. I would never harm one of my fellow students, Sir.' His voice was concerned, but Harry knew it was a fake. He had known exactly what he had done. The Professor nodded. He clearly did believe Riddle. 'Bring the girl to the Hospital Wing,' he said in a strong voice. 'Resume your duels. Mistakes can happen, you all know that.' As he turned around, Harry could see a cold and satisfied smile on the face of Riddle. His eyes burned with fire. _

Harry gasped and sat back. Dumbledore watched him, a smile on his lips. 'What do you make of that?' he asked. Harry blinked with his eyes and shook his head. The last traces of the memory were already leaving him, but he could still see the devious smile in his mind. He could still feel the coldness and darkness of young Tom Riddle. He shivered.

'He was already experimenting with dark magic,' he said in a harsh voice. 'He tortured the girl on purpose. I saw it in his eyes. He liked it.' He cursed softly and looked at Dumbledore. 'He also seemed really powerful with his wand. His curses broke through her shield like … like it was nothing.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'Tom Riddle was always a gifted student,' he said. 'But he has his weaknesses. You saw him fighting. He was attacking with relentless energy. He uses emotions, strong emotions, to give his dark magic more power. Anger, hate, fear, contempt. Emotions are as powerful to wizards as their magic is.' Dumbledore looked at him with sharp eyes. 'I want you to concentrate. Concentrate on a happy emotion, something that fills you with warmth. Then, I want you to destroy my shield.'

Harry blinked at the Headmaster. Destroy his shield? Dumbledore was one of the most powerful wizards of all time. How was Harry supposed to destroy the old man's shield with one simple curse? He nodded unsurely and closed his eyes. Thoughts were running through his head. Thoughs about Hagrid, telling him that he was a wizard. Thoughts about first seeing Hogwarts, and feeling like he was coming home. Thoughts about the first time he met Ron and Hermione, his life-long friends. He aimed his wand and fired a curse. It deflected onto Dumbledore's shield. The old man shook his head. 'The thought was not powerful enough Harry,' he said. 'Try again.'

For over one hour Harry tried. He could not break through the shield Dumbledore had erected, no matter how hard he tried. Just as he was about to give up hope, he could feel Ginny in his head. He smiled. She was obviously in a happy mood. He wondered why. Thoughts of Ginny always made him smile. Without even thinking about it, he shot another curse at Dumbledore. The red beam collided with the shield. The ground reverberated as the shield exploded. Dumbledore took a step back, a wide smile on his face.

'I told you that emotions were a powerful weapon,' he said. 'May I ask what you were thinking about? Your magic was growing exceptionally strong in mere seconds.'

Harry bit his lip. Should he tell Dumbledore about the connection he had with Ginny? He decided against it. The connection was something he shared with only Ginny. It was their secret. 'My parents,' he lied. 'How they were when I was a kid. I have seen some photographs this summer.' He shrugged. 'It seems it helped a lot today.'

Dumbledore looked at him. He got the distinct impression that the old Headmaster did not fully believe his lies. He averted eye contact. 'I think this is enough for one evening,' the Headmaster said after a few seconds of silence. 'Return to your dorm, Harry. We will meet again next week.' Harry nodded, said his goodbye and left the office.

Ginny sat alone in the common room, waiting for Harry to return. Her thoughts went out to the young man. She loved him, so much was clear, and if she was not mistaken, Harry loved her back. He was just to daft or stubborn (or both, if she knew Harry) to admit it to himself. Ginny smirked. She would just need to find a way to make him believe and accept it, for she could not do without Harry James Potter for another day. Not now that they had their bond.

She had felt Harry's emotions throughout the evening. He was angry, and determined, and she could feel him struggling. A sharp sense of duty was overwhelmingly radiating from him. His training with Dumbledore would be intense, she figured. The Headmaster was widely seen as one of the most powerful wizards alive. Voldemort feared him, they said. Voldemort knew Dumbledore had the power and the knowledge to fight him. And now, Harry would get access to that knowledge to. Ginny smiled. It was about time that they were treating them as young adults instead of kids who needed protection. They had shown their courage in the Department of Mysteries, didn't they? She shook her head.

It was two hours later when Harry appeared. He looked tired, but there was a fire in his eyes. He walked over and sat down beside Ginny. 'How was it?' Ginny asked him. She did not want to probe, but she wanted to know what Harry and Dumbledore were doing in his office. Harry looked at her and told her everything, including the memory of Tom Riddle. Ginny shivered. 'I saw the same thing,' she admitted. 'He showed me once I succumbed to … to the Diary.'

Harry nodded. Without thinking too hard about it, he draped his arm across Ginny's shoulder and pulled her close. 'Nothing will happen,' he said to her. 'I promise. I will always be there to protect you.' He could feel happiness radiating from Ginny and smiled. Then, he remembered the curse he had fired at Dumbledore. His eyes widened. It had been a Bad-Boogey Hex. 'What is it?' Ginny asked slowly. She could feel Harry's surprise and uneasiness through their bond.

'I … I broke Dumbledore's shield with a Bag-Boogey Hex,' he said slowly and looked at Ginny. 'We were dueling. He told me emotions fueled the power of a wizard. I … I used your hex.' He did not have the heart to tell Ginny that he had thought of her. She would laugh at him, or look at him strangely. No, it was better for her not to know.

Ginny smiled. She could feel he was holding something back, but she did not probed. Harry would tell whenever he was ready to tell. 'I'm glad that I could be of some help to you,' she said. As she spoke, she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. 'Now, relax. You need to calm down after training, or you will be stiff as a broomstick tomorrow morning. And mind you, I'm not going to give up my free time to massage you back into shape.'

_Yes dear, _Harry thought amused. Somehow, saying those words was not as awful or scary as he had once imagined it to be. Ginny's smile broadened as she picked up on Harry's thoughts.


	11. 10 Friends

**First of all, thank you for the positive reviews. I must say that I'm impressed my first Fanfic revieces so much good reviews. It makes me write faster, so keep it up :) also, things should be heating up from now on. The war is brewing. I hope to finish another two chapters next week, but I also have school, so don't count on it 100&. Cheers!**

**10**

**Friends**

As the weeks progressed, school kicked off and Harry's training got more intense. He fought Dumbledore with his emotions, concentrating more and more on Ginny Weasley. She made him happy. She made him feel good, even about himself. That was something Harry had never had before. He had always been in the company of his relatives, who told him time and time again that he was a worthless boy with only half a brain. Now, maybe for the first time in his life, Harry began to feel different.

He and Dumbledore also took trips to the past. Harry saw Tom Riddle grow at Hogwarts. He could already see much of the monster Riddle was to become. He already hungered for power and prestige. He already had a loyal group of followers, many of whom would later become the first Death Eaters. Tom Riddle had already closed himself to the world and was pursuing his quest for knowledge of dark magic in secret. He had more than once framed other students, or harmed them, because of his own needs and power-hunger. Harry shivered if he thought about the fact that nobody in Hogwarts had seen the true monster Riddle was back then. So much could have been changed.

After another heavy training session, Harry walked back towards the common room. He was tired, but his mind was full of thoughts. Just as he was about to pass a corner, he heard voices. He stiffened. One of the voices was definitely Draco Malfoy. Harry held his breath and listened.

'I don't want your help,' Draco sneered to a second person. 'You know what I have to do. The orders were clear. I don't know how to, not yet, but I will not fail the Dark Lord.' His voice was cool and detached, but Harry could also detect a hint of fear. It clicked in his mind. Of course, Draco was a Death Eater. His mother and father had been for years, and their son would surely follow in their footsteps once he was old enough. It seemed that 'old enough' in the Malfoy family did not mean adulthood. Draco was a year away from seventeen, but it seemed Voldemort had already recruited the young boy into his army.

'You can't do this alone Draco,' the voice of Theodore Nott said. The boy was in his final year and had always been an advocate of trouble. His family was ancient and pure, he liked to tell everybody. And he was the heir. 'You need help if you want to succeed in your mission Draco. And you know it!'

Harry backed away as he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He quickly cast a spell in the dark corridor, making him blend in with the darkness. He held his breath as the two Slytherens walked past him, not once noticing the fact that they had been overheard by their nemesis. Determent to tell his friends, Harry hurried back towards the Gryffindor common room, hoping that they would be ready to accept the truth. He knew Hermione. She would not believe that mere schoolboys could act as Voldemort's henchmen. However, Harry had seen Tom Riddle in school. He knew what to expect.

Ginny watched Ron and Hermione arguing. She was half in the setting to tell them to just accept each other's love. It was painfully obvious that they were indeed in love with each other. Only they themselves did not seem to notice. Ginny had head that some students had already started secrets bets on how long it would take them to come to terms with their feelings. Ginny had little hope. This had been going on for over two years now, and the end was clearly not yet in sight. She shook her head.

'You don't understand!' Hermione screamed. 'You never do. House Elves are not our servant. They have feelings too, you know. We should set them free so that they can make their own choices.' Her eyes blazed with conviction. Ginny looked at the girl. Perhaps that was Hermione's greatest weakness. She blindly trusted knowledge, while the world around them was fast moving in the direction of denying any knowledge. Ginny grimaced. Every day now more and more reports about Death Eater attacks appeared in the papers. Not a week went by without another death reported. It seemed Voldemort had been tired of waiting in the dark and had instead opted to show his presence through a brutal projection of power and fear. War was rapidly becoming a daily reality.

Harry returned to the common room later than usual. His face was hard and his eyes were cold. Ginny looked up as he entered. Her bruw furrowed. She had felt Harry the entire evening. Their connection was becoming more powerful every day. She could sometimes swear she could locate Harry, even though he was not even in sight. Ron and Hermione stopped their bickering as they too looked at Harry. They too sensed that he was sulking.

'Harry!' Hermione said. She walked over and hugged him. Ginny did not miss the irritated look that quickly crossed Ron's face before it settled back into his normal posture. She smiled softly. 'How was your training today? Tell us all about it!' Hermione was perhaps the most interested in Harry's training. Ginny suspected that she thirsted for the knowledge Dumbledore was giving Harry, just because she wanted to know everything in the world. Knowledge was Hermione's greatest good, her greatest prize.

Harry looked at Hermione. Then his eyes locked momentarily with Ron. His jaw set in anger. 'If you consider starting into a Pensieve to see a nineteen year old Tom Riddle kill two Muggles because they offended him, than yes, I had a great evening. If you consider the fact that I am to relive every major crime of Lord Voldemort over and over again to see if I can find a weakness to exploit, than you could say my evening was just perfect.' He sat down, his arms crossed, his green eyes burning with anger. Ginny felt his anger, but she also felt his sorrow for snapping at his best friends. And he was tired, o so tired. Ginny got up and seated herself next to Harry.

'He didn't mean it,' she explained to Hermione. 'He's just tired. Training takes a lot out of him. He needs some time for himself, Hermione. Can you do that?' She knew her voice was pleading with the girl to understand. Hermione had a tendency to just ramble on, regardless of how other people felt. Ginny knew Harry would explode again if Hermione pressed on.

Hermione seemed to debate for a moment. She nodded. 'Alright,' she said. 'I will. Thank you, Ginny.' Her eyes were sincere as she spoke, even though Ginny could see that she was irritated with Harry's behavior. Just as Ron and Hermione were about to walk away, Harry spoke again. 'Wait,' he said softly. 'There's something I need to tell you. All of you.'

His friends shared a look and set dawn opposite Harry and Ginny. 'What is it, Harry?' Ron asked. He hoped his best friends wasn't going to reveal anything to grim or dark. He almost smirked as the thought crossed his mind. Everything going on around Harry seemed grim and dark lately, however hard they were all trying to surround him with a normal teenage life. Harry had never been normal, and would not be able to live a normal life until the end of Voldemort. Harry squirmed under the attention his friends gave him. 'When I was walking back to the Gryffindor tower,' he explained slowly.

'I will not let him harm you,' Harry spat. Ron blinked. He had never heard Harry so vicious and cold before. His green eyes were hard like granite, and twice as cold as ice. 'I will kill if I have too. Believe me, I'm not going to repeat the same mistakes I made with … with Sirius. Not ever again. Nobody is going to die this time around, certainly not at the hands of one Draco Malfoy.' He spat the name like he had never heard anything more vile and disgusting.

'Calm down Harry,' Hermione said. 'Your overreacting. It's not even sure Malfoy was serious. He could just be trying to get more attention within his own House. I'm certain we need to watch him, but I doubt he would do anything right under the nose of Dumbledore. The Headmaster would know.' Her voice was soft and reassuring, but Ginny could feel that Harry was not convinced. Ron looked at his best mate. He knew Harry. He knew that Harry would not rest before he was certain that nothing bad was going to happen to his friends. Ron was glad that he was included in that list.

'Maybe we should get the DA back together?' Ron said in the silence that had followed Hermione's words. He looked around. 'We could teach them more Defense and Offense. It would come in handy. They can protect their families, and we will have another group fighting Voldemort.' He shuddered as he spoke the name and seemed to be resisting the urge to vomit. 'The DA could also be our eyes and ears at Hogwarts. I'm fairly certain the Death Eaters do the same with their own kids anyway.'

'Maybe,' Harry said. 'The DA was nice. It could easily be activated again, if we find enough people willing to take the risk. Maybe we could even make it official this time around.' He shrugged. 'But I'm still opposed to sending students into battle. The Order can do that. We need to fight, but maybe this way we came give some of them a normal childhood.'

_Oh Harry, _Ginny thought, _don't you see? We're all in this war together. Every student and every wizard. We all need to fight Voldemort. You can't protect everybody from him. You can't deal with that burden alone. _She was careful not to send that though to Harry through their connection. She knew he would not understand and interpret her thoughts the wrong way.

'Cheer up mate!' Ron said and slapped him on the back. 'Tomorrow is the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. Just try to be a … you know … a normal teenage boy for once. I'm starving.' He sighted and shook his head as he made his way over to Hermione, intent on apologizing. Harry smiled as he watched his two best friends talking to each other in hushed voices, Ron obviously trying to be caring and warm. Hermione smiled at him and nodded.

Ginny was paying no attention to Ron. She looked at Harry. She could feel his resolve, his iron will to keep them all out of danger. She sighted mentally. _You know you can't keep us safe all the time Harry, _she said in a calm voice, piercing through his resolve and anger, _we've already been in the heart of this war. You know Death Eaters will kill us if they got the chance to. You need to let go and accept that we are just as willing as you to fight Voldemort._

Harry looked at her. She could see the pain in his eyes. Fear. Fear for them dying, for being alone again. _I don't know if I can Ginny, _he said back in total silence, _I don't know if I'm able to let go. You are my world. You, Ron and Hermione are the core of my being. Without you three, I'm nothing. _He seemed to hesitate a moment. _Certainly you. You give me strength, and you always know what to say to make me feel better. I can't live without you Ginny._

Ginny felt herself blush. She suspected Harry was not as daft as he sometimes seemed to be. His feelings must be obvious to himself on some level at least, she reasoned. Her smile disarmed him. 'I know,' she whispered, and did something she had never done before. She pecked him on his check, a mischievous smile on her lips as she pulled back. 'I know, Harry. I won't let you do through this alone. I will always be at your side.'


	12. 11 The Hogsmeade Drama

**So yes, basicly I had this writing-spur today. It was nice and sunny weather, so I sat myself outside and typed this chapter within two hours. I'm pleased, for this is a major point in the story. Read for yourselves. Secondly, I'm glad for the reviews and followers. Thanks again for giving this Fanfic a try and sticking with it!**

**11**

**The Hogsmeade Drama**

As the sun crept towards the sky, the students assembled outside Hogwarts for their first trip to Hogsmeade. Groups of students were chatting happily as they made their way towards the distant village. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna were one of those groups. Harry had taken Ginny's hand, and she had not objected. Both were smiling and talking to the rest of the group. Only Ron seemed to notice their entwined hands. He smiled. Once, he would have yelled at Harry and beaten him up without thinking twice, but that was a younger version of himself. He had learnt. He had grown up. He could see the changes that Ginny brought on Harry. He was more open, laughing and not sulking alone in the corner of the common room. Ginny was good for Harry, and Harry made his not-so-little sister smile and be genuinely happy.

The four made their way towards the candy shop. Ron eyes the candy and within a few minutes had a bag full of chocolate frogs, sweet candy and other magical items. He shrugged as Hermione and Harry looked at him knowingly. Ginny just giggled, trying to hold in the hysterical laughter that was brewing just below the surface. This was so Ron Weasley.

As they wandered the street, Harry could not help but look around in case he spotted any danger. He had talked to Dumbledore during their last training session. Harry had though that Hogsmeade would be the ideal place for Death Eaters to rampage. They could take down stores and students shopping there in a terrible blow to the wizarding world. Dumbledore had eased him. He had told Harry that members of the Order of the Phoenix would be stationed nearby to monitor the situation. Also, Ministry Aurors had been alerted and were standing by in case something went wrong. Still, Harry did not have a right feeling about all this. They were in the middle of a war. It was unsafe for hundreds of students – most of them underage, too – to wander too far away from the castle without proper protection and instructions. This could spell disaster in mere minutes, he had concluded that same morning during breakfast.

_Calm down Harry, _Ginny scolded him mentally with an amused tone in her voice_, nothing bad is going to happen. Just enjoy your day. Think about the fact that tomorrow at this time, you will be wishing it was today all over again. Is that a normal sentence? _Harry had to struggle to hold his laugh. It would seem incredibly strange for him to just burst out laughing with no good reason, given that both Ron and Hermione had no clue about his growing bond with Ginny. Maybe even more than a Bond alone.

He cringed as he thought about Ron's reaction. He had seen the way Ron had reacted to boys trying to get Ginny's attention. Nobody was good enough for whom he still called his 'little baby sister', although Harry was of the mind that Ginny Weasley was everything but a baby. She had not been a child since the Chamber of Secrets in her first year. Ron, however, did clearly not view it like that. _You like her, _a tiny voice whispered urgently in the back of his mind_, you will need to tell him sooner or later. Better sooner, so that you can get over with it once and for all. _Harry sighted and closed his eyes for a moment. Why was everything concerning girls so bloody complicated?

As they made their way through the main street of Hogsmeade, Harry could feel a sharp pain in his scar. He stopped dead in his tracks. 'What's wrong?' Ron asked, turning around. 'Harry?' Ginny looked at him knowingly. 'My scar,' Harry said in a whisper, looking around. 'It hurt, just now. Do you guys think something is wrong? Is something going to happen?' It couldn't be. Dumbledore had said so himself not even a day ago. Still, Harry had doubts.

'I don't know,' Ginny said unsure. 'Everything seems normal. Perhaps we should hold our wands out, just in case. This is a war, after all.' She tried to say those words nonchalantly, but it wasn't working. Her entire family was fighting in this war. She could well lose brothers before it ended. And the entire was resolved around the boy she would love to call her boyfriend, and that thought was even more frightening than any other she could come up with.

'Maybe,' Harry said, still looking around as if trying to figure something out. Ginny grumbled. She could not read his thoughts. He had shielded them, carefully guarding his secrets. She hated when he did that to her.

The only warning they got was a scream. Harry turned around quickly. His hands trembled as he watched at least ten Death Eaters appearing in the middle of the street. They were already firing curses when Harry ducked. 'Wands out!' he bellowed. The battle burst to life all around them. He could see Ron and Hermione taking cover in a store on the other side of the road, as Ginny ran towards an alley, ducking to avoid a nasty looking curse. She began firing back as soon as she reached the alley.

Harry did not have time to worry about his friends. Two Death Eaters advanced on him, killing an old man as they went. They did not even glance back to see the lifeless body fall to the ground, glazy eyes looking up towards the sky. Harry took a deep breath. The calming words of Dumbledore returned in his mind. He knew the Order and the Professors were already on their way. He just needed to stall the Death Eaters long enough. He nodded to himself. It was time that he put his training to action for the first time.

'Here goes nothing,' Harry mumbled as two hexes exploded not far from him. He concentrated on the image of Ginny, harder than he had done ever before. He could feel his magic pulsing in response. The bond seemed to glow with fire. He shivered as the magic build up inside of him. He could now take in more than he could a few weeks ago, and suspected that had been Dumbledore's plan all along. The old Headmaster was never that forthcoming with answers as Harry would have liked. He aimed his wand and breathed out. 'Reducto!' The curse exploded the ground with the power of a landmine. Bricks, earth and dust exploded outwards. The grounds shook from the force of the explosion.

Harry took another aim. He saw a Death Eater striking down a student while her friends screamed. They had not been members of the DA, Harry concluded. He could see Neville, Dean and Seamus attacking another Death Eater. They worked together and gave the dark mage a hard time. Other members of the DA were escorting a group of terrified third years to the relative safety of a store, where the owner was erecting shield charms. Three other Death Eaters had set fire to another building, laughing as the flames roared higher. Killing Curses flew through the air as the ground shook with two explosions.

Harry gathered his magic and began fighting back. It wasn't long before he could see members of the Order of the Phoenix charging against the Death Eaters, who were now hard pressed. Harry furrowed his brow. It didn't seem right at all. There had been no more than fifteen Death Eaters in total. If they wanted to cause serious trouble, shouldn't they have send more. The thought left Harry as soon as another curse was aimed against him. He ducked and poured all his energy into the fighting, forgetting his earlier doubts and whispers.

Ron stunned a Death Eater. His eyes once again drifted towards Hermione. The witch was firing a stream of curses towards another two Death Eaters. Her eyes were like flames. Ron stared for a moment. He was captivated by the girl he had called his friend for years now. Never before had he seen her the way he was looking at her now. It seemed that books and knowledge weren't the only things Hermione Granger was good at. She was a terrific fighter, a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

A curse narrowly missed Ron and exploded on the wall behind him. He cursed and ducked lower, searching for a new target. He shook his head. Bloody oaf, looking at a girl like that in the middle of a raging battle. Surely he must be losing his mind already. With a grim anger he shot of another spell. He would fight the Death Eaters to the last man standing if he had to, if that meant protecting Hermione from any danger. That was worth the risks.

Curses flew through the air. Ginny cursed and ducked, waiting till the fire was over. She peeked from her hidden viewpoint and saw two Death Eaters advancing into the main street, where more explosions and screaming could be heard. Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. She could see Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt in the street, fighting to save some students who had been trapped in a building because of the crossfire. Several bodies were crumpled in the corners, obviously dead. Ginny cringed. She did not want to think about the fact that she could well know some of those lifeless bodies. It might be students. She shrugged that depressing thought off and continued fighting. In the back of her mind, she could feel the steely resolve and determination of Harry. It gave her a strange comfort.

Ginny thought it couldn't get any worse than this. Nothing was worse than being trapped in the middle of a war. That was, until she heard somebody laughing behind her. Ginny turned around and aimed her wand, but the Death Eater was faster. Her wand flew from her hand. The Death Eater removed the black mask. The grinning, insane face of Bellatrix Lestrange came into view. 'Well, well, well,' she cackled. 'This is a nice surprise. Potter's bitch.' Her laughter was devious and dark.

Ginny panicked. She had no wand, no way to protect herself from the insane Death Eater. And this woman knew who she was. 'Come here girl,' Bellatrix said. 'You are coming with me. I have orders from the Dark Lord himself. He seems interested in you somehow, although I don't know why. Come here!' Bellatrix muttered some spell. Invisible hands gripped Ginny and pushed her hard into the hands of the female Death Eater. A mere second after she collided with the Death Eater, she felt the familiar sense of Apparating. She closed her eyes. _I'm so sorry Harry. Please forgive me._

Harry fired another blasting hex, blowing the wall of a shop to dust. The Death Eater he had aimed for screamed and stumbled back, holding both of his hands up to his face. Harry smirked. It served him well. Just as he was about to launch another Stunner, another Death Eater screamed. 'We've got the girl. Get out of here! Aurors are coming.' The Death Eaters who were still in the main street quickly Apparated away, leaving a deadly silence behind.

Harry got up and breathed in and out. His eyes found Ron and Hermione. A smile appeared on his lips. They had survived the battle without a scratch. Further down the street, he could see members of the DA helping injured students. Two immobilized Death Eaters were bound with heavy ropes. They would be questioned later, Harry assumed.

Ron came over. 'Good spell work mate,' he said, clapping Harry on the back. 'I could see your training has done you well. They didn't stand a chance.' Hermione grinned and nodded, although her eyes kept shifting to a motionless body lying a few feet away. She cringed. Harry nodded. He was about to speak, when Ron asked a question. 'Have you seen Ginny?' he asked, looking around. Harry felt his heart leap. He looked around. He had last seen her on the other side of the street, fighting off a large Death Eater. He rushed over, the blood pounding in her ears. 'Ginny!' he yelled, looking around frantically. He did not receive an answer. His panic rose as he yelled at her mentally, getting no sign of her. This was not good. Ron and Hermione had joined him, concerned looks on their faces as they too began searching the alley.

Just as Harry had convinced himself of the fact that Ginny must have gotten back to the castle already, Hermione yelled. Harry turned round. In the trembling hands of Hermione was Ginny's wand. She looked wide-eyed at Harry. Ron's face had lost all color. Harry felt his limbs trembling. Merlin, no, this couldn't be true. They had taken Ginny. Voldemort had taken Ginny away.


	13. 12 A rescue mission

**Hey everybody. Thanks again for the reviews, and sorry for the cliffhanger. I felt it was needed to advance this story nicely, for the chapters are all around 2000 to 2500 words long. This chapter should progress the story nicely, as Harry is finaly confronted by something that some of you have already said (nice riddle, this is). So read and review :) next chapter - the mission - should be up this week. I have exams tomorrow, so it might take slightly longer than usual for me to update. I will try my best!**

**12**

**A rescue mission**

Ginny was gone. Voldemort had taken Ginny away. As dread filled Harry, he turned around and sprinted towards the castle. Behind him, he could hear the screams of Ron and Hermione, who tried to keep up with him. Harry clenched his hands into fist and willed his body to move faster. He passed the burning outskirts of Hogsmeade and did not stop when Fred and George called out to him. His eyes burned as he passed Hogwarts gates.

He sprinted up the stairs, all the way toward Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore himself was talking to McGonagall and Flitwick. All three adults turned around as they saw Harry. 'Mr. Potter!' McGonagall said briskly. 'What are you doing here?'

'Ginny,' Harry gasped, trying to speak normally. 'She … taken … Voldemort. Have to go after her.' He closed his eyes for a moment. For the tenth time he tried to reach her mentally, but she did not respond. He did not want to think about what that meant. He couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever again. Resolve steeled his nerves as he opened his eyes again.

'Come in Harry,' Dumbledore said. 'Quickly now. We need to know exactly what happened in Hogsmeade.' Harry followed the Headmaster, just as Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Neville appeared around the corner. Their shouts made McGonagall bristle again. 'Oh alright then!' she said. 'Come on in. You have the right to know what's going on, I suppose.'

Harry explained as well as he could what happened. Ron held onto Hermione, his face looking like that of a dead man. Hermione herself was crying. Fred and George shared a look. Harry had never seen the Twins so angry and determent before. They look about ready to storm out of Hogwarts to track down the Death Eaters all by themselves. Dumbledore nodded. 'This is indeed a grave situation,' he said in a low voice. 'I will call the available Order members here at once. We need to find Ms. Weasley and bring her back here as soon as possible.'

Within minutes, Order members began Flooiing in. Remus Lupin appeared, followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody and Dedalus Diggel. Not twenty seconds later Molly Weasley and her husband appeared, followed by Charlie Weasley. Severus Snape stormed into the office, a sneer on his face as he surveyed the small crowd.

'Good,' Dumbledore said. 'Now that everybody is here. You all understand the gravity of this situation.' Dumbledore's eyes shifted to Harry for a moment, and Harry felt that the Headmaster knew something about him. Something about him and Ginny, maybe. He averted his eyes. 'I believe young Ms. Weasley is being held captive somewhere in Azkaban. The fortress has fallen into the hands of the Death Eaters after the Dementors defected the Ministry. It's the ideal place to keep captives locked away.' He sighted. 'We do not have enough fighters to storm the prison, but we might be able to sneak in undetected.' Snape nodded. He was obviously the one who had fed Dumbledore the information.

Ginny woke up with a pounding headache. For a moment, she did not know where she was. She looked around confused. She was in the middle of a small stone chamber. The light was dim and coming from one litter window. She could see iron bars there. In a flash, everything that had happened in Hogsmeade came back to her. She had been captured by non-other than Bellatrix Lestrange, the notorious Death Eater who specialized in torture. She grimaced.

As Ginny stood up she winced, fighting the nausea that threatened to overtake her once again. Her hand went to her hip. With a start she realized that she did not have her wand. Panic rose within her. She could not escape from this dreadful place. Suddenly she realized that she had a way of communicating with the outside world. In silence, she thanked the bond. _Harry? _She called. _Harry, are you there? It's me, Ginny._

Harry jerked up as he heard Ginny's voice in his head. _Ginny! How are you? Are you alright? Do you know where you are? _He could not control the shaking of his mental voice, nor the questions rising within him. He needed to find her, and fast. She would not be alright for long if she was in the custody of Death Eaters. _Calm down Harry, _Ginny scolded him in his own mind_, I'm fine. A little sore and without my wand, but they have not done anything to me. I'm in a small stone chamber with bars for the window. There's nothing else here. _She sounded irritated.

'She's in a dark room,' Harry said. The Order members stopped their talks and turned around to face him. 'She doesn't know where she is. The room is made of stone. There's no furniture inside. The window is high and small, and there are bars. She feels the cold of something.' His mind worked furiously to comprehend the information he was getting. He could see surprise registered on the faces of the Order members. Ron and Hermione shared a look.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. 'That would be Azkaban,' he said slowly. 'The description matches everything I have seen of that dreadful place.' Molly Weasley whimpered and shook her head. Charlie and Ron looked pained at the words of the Headmaster. Harry felt a pang of regret. It was because of him that Ginny was being abducted. He needed to get her back, right now.

The Order went to work. They produced a map of the prison and went over every floor. Eventually, after what seemed an eternity of talking, they had narrowed their search down to three flours. That still left over seventy cells. Remus Lupin was talking about the likelihood of werewolves being present in the prison. Harry fumed. If a werewolf was allowed access to Ginny … His mind reeled back from that thought as if in pain. It couldn't be.

'This takes too long,' he grumbled angrily. 'We need to go now.'

'Calm down,' Hermione said in a desperate voice. 'You can't just storm Azkaban to save Ginny, Harry. You know that. Remember last summer? We could lose a lot more people this time around.' Harry looked at her. His green eyes were like a raging storm. Hermione looked into those eyes. She knew the truth, and it was time Harry did too. 'Harry,' she said in a calm voice. 'You love Ginny. I know you do, I can see it in your eyes. Just calm down. We will get her back as soon as possible, but we need to have some sort of a plan.'

Harry blinked, his anger momentarily forgotten. Hermione had said he loved Ginny. That was ridiculous! She was just a friend, and Ron's sister on top of that. _Do I love Ginny? _The though was anchored into his mind. His brow furrowed in concentration as he examined his feelings. He certainly wanted to protect Ginny, and he felt strangely at ease in her presence. And then there was the Bond. It made them stronger, made him stronger.

'If I love her,' he said. 'It's all the more reason to act quickly.' For he knew, even without saying it, that he could not live without Ginny Weasley. Not anymore. She was the reason he was willing to risk his life fighting Voldemort. _And maybe, just maybe, I love her indeed, _he thought absentmindedly.

Ginny paced the room for what seemed like hours. She had talked to Harry, assured him that she was indeed alright. She did not know how long that would last. There were Death Eaters nearby, that much was obvious. She was pleased to hear that Harry and the Order were already assembled and coming up with a rescue plan. It scared her a little bit that she was somewhere in the middle of Azkaban prison, but she did not let that thought deter her. She needed to focus now, sparing her strength for the time of the escape.

Ginny turned around as the door opened. Two Death Eaters walked inside. She recognized Rodolphes Lestrange. The other man was obviously younger, but had the mask on his face. She froze and watched them closely. 'Ah,' Rodolphes said in a serene voice. 'I see the little dove is awake. It took you some hours.' His eyes glistered. 'I would like to ask you some question youngling.'

'Go to hell,' Ginny spat. 'I'm not going to answer you. You want to kill my friends, destroy my life and rout out every Muggleborn witch and wizard. If you think I'm going to help you do that, you are truly delusional!' She knew deep down that it was extremely risky to act like his, but somehow she knew she was right. She would not bow to them. She couldn't do that.

Rodolphes Lestrange cursed. He aimed his wand at her. 'Alright then,' he said in a dangerous voice. 'If you do not want to bow, we will make you bow. Crucio!' Ginny fell to the floor screaming. The agony tearing through her was larger than anything she had ever expected. It was hell on earth. Fire and bitter cold raced through her veins. Her head seemed to explode in pain.

Harry could feel the enormous pain Ginny was in. He cursed. 'What is it Harry?' Remus Lupin asked. 'It's Ginny,' Harry said through gritted teeth. 'I think … o God's no … she's being tortured.' He closed his eyes.

'We need to discuss how to enter Azkaban,' McGonagall said. 'There must be defenses there. Death Eaters, Dementors, maybe even darker creatures.' She flashed a look towards Remus Lupin, who smiled wryly and nodded.

'There is no bloody time,' Harry said. He could feel the magic raging inside of him, feeding on his emotions. For once, he didn't care. The only thought in his mind was how they would be able to save Ginny from Azkaban before she was tortured into insanity. 'We need to go now. She is in pain. I felt it. I know the Cruciatus Curse well by now.' Molly and Arthur gasped. Fred cursed and kicked against one of the tables. Ron and Hermione were deadly silent, watching the struggle of wills unfold before them. They had always known Harry possessed strong leadership characteristics, if he was willing to let go and do what had to be done. They were witnessing a moment like that right now.

'Calm down Potter,' Mad-Eye growled. 'This will not help us save Weasley.'

'There is no time!' Harry screamed. Magic exploded outwards from him, rattling the walls and making the items on Dumbledore's desk shake. The air seemed charged with electricity. 'I'm going after Ginny, right now, and everybody that tries to stop me will pay dearly, understood?' His green eyes flashed dangerously as he levelled them on the Order members. Snape growled something and stepped in front of the door. 'Control your emotions Potter,' he said silkily, 'they won't get you anywhere. The Headmaster said we needed to wait. So, we wait, whether you like it or not.'

Within a second, Harry had drawn his wand and aimed it right at his Potions Professor. 'Step aside Snape,' he growled dangerously. 'Right now.' He could feel the magic building up in his arm, waiting and humming to be released. The black eyes of Severus Snape widened a little bit. 'Potter, you should know by now that your arrogant behavior will not be…' Snape was blown into the wall. He crumbled to the floor, his eyes closed. Harry fumed and turned around. 'I'm going right now. You can choose. Either follow me and save Ginny as soon as possible, or stay here discussing your petty battle plans all night.' His rage boiled deep inside of him. 'But beware. If I go to Azkaban alone, and if I manage to save Ginny, I will _never ever again _participate in Order meetings. You can all go to hell.' He stormed out of the office, leaving a stunned silence behind.

Within a few seconds of his departure, Ron and Hermione stood. They looked at each other and nodded. Then, without a word, they followed Harry out. Fred, George, Neville and Luna followed in silence. 'Ron Weasley!' Molly screamed at the top of her lungs. 'What the hell do you think you're doing young man?!'

Ron turned around. 'Saving my sister,' he said, and sped away.


	14. 13 The Azkaban Raid

**13**

**The Azkaban Raid**

Harry stormed towards the gates of Hogwarts. His entire being was focused on one goal: saving Ginny before things got any worse than they already were. He was blind to everything else. He could not feel her agony through their bond. He hoped that was because she was asleep, or because the Death Eaters had stopped their torment. He prayed in silence that she had not passed out from the pain and the shock of being tortured.

Ron and Hermione quickly caught up with him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ron shot him a dirty look. 'We're here to help,' he growled. 'That's my sister, Harry. I'm going.' Harry nodded, although he did not feel totally at ease. Ron would be a target too. Soon, Fred, George, Neville and Luna attached themselves to their little group.

'How are we going to get to Azkaban?' Neville asked suddenly.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. He cursed. He could not yet apparate. None of his friends could. They were stuck here, he realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Panic threatened to overtake his senses once more. He turned towards Hogwarts and was surprised to see a group heading their way. Remus was there, as well as Kingsley, Arthur, Molly, Mad-Eye, Tonks, McGonagall and Bill. 'We want to help,' Bill said. 'We will help you all free Ginny. Dumbledore doesn't think it's wise, but she's my sister.' His voice grew harder. 'We will apparate to the shore opposite Azkaban. From there, we need to cross the sea lane towards the prison itself undetected. We've made three portkeys. Harry, myself and Remus will have them. As soon as any of you gets a hold on Ginny, your to transport yourself and her out of there as soon as possible. No hero-stuff or grand speech, alright? Are you ready for this?'

Everybody nodded in a deadly silence. They knew this was it. This was no game or lesson. This was real fighting, to the death if need be. The thick silence lasted several seconds. 'Good,' Bill said. 'Grip me tightly. We're going.' He handed out the portkeys and drew his wand. He looked at the group he was to take into the prison grounds. The others nodded, although Ms. Weasley still seemed to battle herself for not objecting to the teens coming along. She held her mouth, however, and shared a knowing look with her husband. Together, the group disappeared from the Hogwarts gates into the unknown adventure.

Azkaban rose in the middle of a rocky island, surrounded by a storming sea of dark water. Harry shivered. He could easily see how the immense fortress was the ideal place for Death Eaters to keep their prisoners safely locked away. He doubted even the Auror Division of the Ministry could easily storm Azkaban prison, now that it had fallen into enemy hands. 'Will the Dementors be there?' he asked calmer than he felt.

'Maybe,' Remus Lupin said. The Marauder stared at the fortress with a grim expression on his face. 'I doubt there will be many. You-Know-Who would want to use them to sow terror into Muggle cities and wizarding villages. But there will be guards. A lot.'

The group made their way towards the shore. Arthur and Kingsley conjured two boats. The groups boarded the boats and slowly drifted towards the prison. Harry felt highly uncomfortable. The wind was cold, and he was sure they would be spotted any moment now. They had of course putt up wards and disillusion charms around the boats, but a closely watching eye would still be able to spot the movement in the water. Harry silently hoped the Death Eaters would not expect a sudden, daring raid like this.

As they landed on the island shore, everyone got out. Harry teamed up with Bill, Kingsley, Ron, Hermione and George. Together, they would be one of the two teams moving into Azkaban. 'Alright,' Kingsley whispered, glancing around to see if he could spot any movements. 'We are the rescue team. We're going in to take Ginny Weasley out of there, whilst the other group will create as much chaos as possible by fighting the Death Eaters inside the prison. Understood?' He turned to Harry after everybody had nodded. 'I understand your able to locate Ginny, to see where she is?' he said slowly.

Harry nodded. He did not want people to know, but he did not have any other choice right now. Questions would be asked later. He gritted his teeth as he saw the look Hermione gave him. Ron just seemed surprised, but didn't act on it for once in his life. The group moved towards the stick stone walls, seeking one of the sewer entrances that had been guarded by Dementors once. Kingsley hoped that Death Eaters would not guard those entrances, and focus on the main gate leading towards the ground floors.

'We wait until we hear the fighting starting,' Bill said as Ron made an attempt to open up the sewer. 'We can't risk charging in.' His eyes locked with Ron and Harry, silently saying that the life of Ginny could very well depend on their ability to reign in emotions. Harry took a few deep breaths and nodded. Just then they heard explosions and screaming in the distance. 'Now,' Billy hissed. They blew open the sewer and charged forward. The murky water sloshed around their feet and the stone corridor was black as night. However, they did not dare to make light as to warn any Death Eaters of their approach.

The fighting intensified as they arrived in the main prison. Harry could hear curses and screaming from rooms and corridors further down the path. He clenched his teeth, hoping nobody was hurt of worse. 'We need to get to the higher levels,' Harry explained. 'I know Ginny is there.' He pointed towards the stairs. The group nodded and began hurrying up the stairs. It wasn't long before the first two Death Eaters appeared, firing hexes. Harry ducked as his group fought the black-robed figures, pushing them back steadily. The grounds shook from a massive explosion somewhere in the prison complex. _I'm coming Ginny, _Harry send her in his mind, _I'm coming for you. Don't worry. Everything will be alright. We're on our way as we speak. _

Ginny awoke with a start. She could feel the ground shaking. Faintly, she could hear screaming below. A smile spread on her lips. She could feel Harry. He was a shining orb of determination and concentration. She felt him closing in on her, trying to get to her cell. A tired smile appeared on her bruised face. Harry was coming for her. He was coming to save her from this living hell.

Another explosion shook the floor. Ginny got up and grimaced. Her entire body felt sore. She was tired, and she did not have her wand. Everything and anybody could overpower her, she knew. Still, she backed away into the corner of her cell and tried to remain calm. Harry was coming. Nothing bad would happen to her, not any more. She shivered as she recalled the pain of the Cruciatus Curse. She certainly did not want that to happen all over again. She needed to think, to act calmly, and try to get the attention of the Order members.

_I'm coming for you Ginny,_ Harry said in the back of her mind, _you will be out of here before they even know what's coming for them. I promise. _His words were like steel, reassuring her that everything was indeed going to be fine. Harry was coming, and that was enough for her. Just as that thought had settled firmly in her brain, the door to her cell opened. She half expected Harry to walk in, but was terrified when all of the sudden a Death Eater moved in. Fenrir Greyback smiled at her, his eyes glistering with fire. 'Hello dear little girl,' he said in a raspy voice. 'How good of you too still be here. Have you heard? There is some sort of a rescue party coming for you.' His smile broadened. 'How would you like to play with me a little bit? Maybe your little friends would like to see my brand new werewolf pup?'

_Harry, _Ginny screamed franticly in her mind, _you need to come right now! Hurry! _She backed away, trembling, as the werewolf stepped into her cell.

Harry stunned a Death Eater and sprinted up the stairs. He could feel the terror of Ginny radiating in his mind. Without a doubt, he knew her life was in danger. He would not let her die. Behind him, Ron followed, wand in his hand and a blazing look in his eyes. He looked like terror himself, a fighter from legend that was coming to fight all the evil in the world.

He rounded a corner and could feel Ginny in one of the cells. He aimed his wand at the wooden door. The wood splintered and blew apart. Without thinking what he was doing, Harry pushed into the cell, wand at the ready. The first thing he saw was Ginny. She was lying in the corner, panting heavily. Fenrir Greyback was standing over her, a shocked look on his face as Harry and Ron came storming in. The werewolf growled something. 'Well,' he said. 'I see I have a little party to attend. How convenient for you two to witness the birth of my new servant.' His teeth glistered.

'Get away from her,' Harry warmed. He could feel his magic building up inside of him, ready to be used. He drew heavily on the sight of Ginny. She was alive. Beaten up and scared, but she was alive and well. Greyback hadn't gotten to her just yet, he could see. That filled him with relief and more magical power. His eyes never left the grinning werewolf. 'I said, step back!'

Greyback shook his head. 'Not before I've had my little fun with her Potter,' he growled. Without another warning he lunged for Ginny. Harry, however, was faster than the werewolf. His curse collided with the side of the werewolf. Fenrir Greyback was bodily lifted off the ground and smashed against the wall of the cell. Harry could hear the breaking of some bones. He smiled as he stepped forward. 'Problem?' he said lightly to the werewolf. 'Did you not expect me to best you, Greyback?'

The werewolf stood up shakily. 'I will kill you for this Potter,' he growled in a menacing voice. 'The girl will watch, and then…' He smiled again as he began firing curses. Harry and Ron blocked and dodged the curses and fired back. Ginny was sitting against the wall wide-eyed, looking at the unfolding duel. Her eyes were glued to Harry. The Boy Who Lived was truly a formidable fighter. His curses were powerful, and his reflexes quick. After a minute Ron was taken out by a stunner and slumped to the ground. Harry continued the fight, fuelled by his will to protect Ginny from any harm that could come to her. He needed to get her out of here as soon as possible. Down the corridor, he could hear members of the Order fighting off another Death Eater or three.

Suddenly, Greyback launched at Ginny again. His nails scratched her arm as he tried to pull her towards him. Rage filled Harry. 'No!' he screamed. His concussion hex blew Greyback away from Ginny. 'Expelliarmus!' The wand of the werewolf came flying into Harry's hands. Without a second thought, he snapped the wand in half and burned it. Greyback panted heavily, his nose a bloody mess as he got up. Harry came closer. 'You tried again,' he screamed. 'You bloody tried again to take her! Nobody will take her away from me!' His magic roared in his head and body, the flood ever-growing.

'What are you going to do boy?' Greyback snarled and spit on the floor. 'Kill me? Stun me? You're way too soft to fight this war boy. You stun me, you break my wand, but you're not strong enough. The Dark Lord will simply give me another wand. We will recruit more followers, more fighters, until this entire land seethes with them. A werewolf army of darkness.' He laughed. 'You're not strong enough to withstand us boy. Your too weak.'

'Am I?' Harry asked quietly. 'Avada Kedavra!' The green light filled the room as a rushing sound filled his ears. Greyback crumbled to the floor, dead. Ginny gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. Harry blinked. He had just cast the first Killing Curse of his life. He had taken a life. For a moment he felt sick with himself. Then he remember that Greyback had wounded Remus, had tried to bite Ginny and had killed tens of Muggles and wizards in his bloody path. 'Come on Ginny,' he said quietly. 'Time to get out of here. I have a portkey.' Ginny nodded and walked unsteadily towards him. Together, they disappeared from Azkaban into the village of Hogsmeade.


	15. 14 The HDA Lesson

**14**

**The HDA lesson**

Harry and Ginny appeared outside the gates of Hogwarts. Harry hurried Ginny inside, where the wards would protect them from harm. He felt a breath release itself deep inside his chest as they crossed the gates. Ginny was struggling to remain standing on her feet and leaned heavily on Harry. Harry, however, did not mind. His mind was still on the battle in Azkaban. He knew he needed to take Ron out of there, but he had followed orders. He had retrieved Ginny, and that had been the primary objective. He just hoped the rest of them would be okay and return quickly to the safety of Hogwarts.

Dumbledore and Snape waited behind the gate. Snape scowled as usual, but Harry noticed the sneer was absent from his face. He glanced at Dumbledore. The Headmaster rushed over and examined both of them. 'You have nothing but a few scratches,' he told Harry. Then he turned towards Ginny. 'You need to go to the Hospital Wing, Ms. Weasley. You have some injuries, and I can sense a great fatigue in you. Professor Snape will escort you.'

Harry was about to object, but then closed his mouth. He watched as Ginny and Snape walked away. He turned his attention to the Headmaster. 'The rest?' he asked in a deadly calm voice. Dumbledore looked at him sharply. 'I've just received a quick message from Bill Weasley,' he said after a long silence. 'They are coming back as we speak. Ron and Hermione are alright, but Remus Lupin has a nasty cut in his arm. Kingsley broke his leg, but he is already healed and ready to jump into action again.' Dumbledore grinned.

Harry nodded. He was relieved that his friends were okay and coming back to Hogwarts, but his mind was already with Ginny. He had realized that he had some feelings for the red-haired Weasley girl. He had always seen her as just Ron's little sister. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was quickly falling in love with her. He could not stand the thought of losing her to Voldemort or his Death Easters. He would go insane.

The hand of Dumbledore on his shoulder brought him back to the present. 'I can see your pretty tired yourself Harry,' the Headmaster said. 'But I need to ask you an important question. How did you know were Ginny was?'

Harry closed his eyes for a moment. He had known Dumbledore and other members of the Order would ask this question. The problem was he had no idea how to answer the Headmaster. He did not want to lie, but he had to. 'Ginny and I have some kind of a magical connection,' he explained slowly. 'I know where she is, and sometimes I can feel her emotions. We've had it for years now, maybe even since the Chamber of Secrets. I think it's some kind of a life-saving bond. I've read about those.'

Dumbledore nodded 'That is well possible,' he said. 'Maybe, yes. I will look into this matter, Harry, I promise. Maybe it's something we have to keep a tab on.' His eyes locked with Harry. Harry could only silently hope the Headmaster would not pry too much. He had trained with the old man and knew that his magical abilities were quickly growing and expanding, but he could not yet risk standing up to the Headmaster himself in a direct way.

'I wanted to ask you something else Harry,' Dumbledore said suddenly. 'We've been training together for weeks now. I know you are a capable wizard, and your power is growing.' He looked at Harry, his eyes twinkling. 'I wanted to ask you if you are interested in re-activating the DA this year? The students could use some extra Defense lessons, and you seem to be good at teaching. We will need everybody capable of defending themselves now that Tom is back.'

'Of course, Sir,' Harry quickly said. He had already thought about the possibilities of restarting the DA. It was nice to see that he and Dumbledore were on the same page.

Screams and shout drew their attention towards the gates. Harry let out a breath. Ron and Hermione were running towards him. Both had minor scratches and bruses, but neither seemed seriously injured. Bill, Mad-Eye and Kingsley followed. 'Harry!' Ron screamed. 'Alright mate? Have you brought Ginny back? Is she alright?' His voice was frantic and his eyes were wide. Harry hugged Hermione and Ron. 'She's alright,' he assured both of them. 'I brought her back. She's alright.' He could not bring himself to talk about the Killing Curse he had cast. He could not tell Ron and Hermione just yet.

'Alright,' Dumbledore said. 'I'll go check the messages in the castle.' The old man walked away and let Harry alone with his friends. The three of them walked back towards the castle, lost in talk about the successful rescue. Harry could feel his scar pricking, and he knew that Voldemort was mad. Mad, because his prize was being taken away from under his nose. Harry could not resist a smile as that thought settled in his mind. It was comforting.

Harry could not sleep. He turned in his bed, his mind still focused on Ginny. They had spoken in their minds, and Ginny had assured him that everything was alright. She would come back to lessons without two days. With a sight he stood up and walked downstairs. He made his way to the Hospital Wing, carefully avoiding anybody on his way. He did not want to be seen.

'Ginny?' Harry asked. Ginny looked up startled and blinked with her eyes. She smiled as she saw Harry approaching her bed. She had hoped he had come. She had felt him drawing nearer to her in the past few minutes. 'Hey,' she said in a whisper. 'I thought I felt you coming near me. I'm glad you're here.'

'Are you alright?' Harry asked, gripping her hand in his.

'I'm doing fine,' Ginny said with a smile on her lips. Her eyes glanced. 'I'm safe here, with you. Thank you, Harry. Thank you for saving my life again.' She looked down at their gripped hands and the smile on her face broadened. 'I'm not feeling sore anymore. It's just a memory now. I think I should also thank you for coming today. You've been the best friend a girl can wish for. I'm glad I took the chance to get to know you.'

'I don't deserve your friendship,' Harry said. He shivered. 'I'm not the boy you think I am, Ginny. I'm not the boy I thought I was myself. I've done things…' He broke off, unable to finish his sentence in the presence of the girl. He was sure Ginny was wary of him, did not want to talk to him after she had witnessed him killing somebody in Azkaban.

'What's wrong Harry?' Ginny asked, patting him on his arm.

'I killed him,' Harry whispered in a broken voice. 'I knew I had to do something, but this … I am as bad as any Death Eater.' He looked down. Ginny cursed in silence for his honor-complex. She gently pushed his head up so she could stair in her eyes. His startling green eyes.

'You did what you had to do,' Ginny insisted. 'I'm not mad at you, Harry. You saved my life, again. I lost count of how many times you've done that already in the past few years.' She smiled. 'I like that about you. Maybe you should go back, Harry. It's way past curfew, you know?' She smiled at him.

Harry grinned and nodded. 'Thank you,' he said sincerely. Without a moment of hesitation, he bend over and kissed Ginny on the cheek. 'Get well soon. I'll come tomorrow, if you want. Stay safe.' He smiled lovingly at Ginny, who had a faint but noticeable blush on her cheeks and smiled at him.

'How did you know where Ginny was?' Ron asked him. They were walking back towards the Gryffindor common room. Ron had broken the silence that had settled around the three. He looked over at Harry. 'I did not gave it that much thought, mate, but you knew exactly where to go.'

Hermione looked at Harry. He seemed distinctively uncomfortable with Ron's blunt question. After a tense moment of silence, Harry spoke up. 'Me and Ginny,' he said quietly. 'We have some kind of a bond. I can't really explain it, but I can pinpoint where she is. I can feel how she feels.' He shuddered. 'That's how I know she was being tortured by the Death Eaters. I don't know where it come from, and I don't know what it is either.' That was only half a lie. He and Ginny had known what had happened to them, but they had decided not to tell anybody. Harry could not tell his friends nothing, he had to give something to them. But he didn't want to tell them everything yet.

'That is awesome,' Ron beamed. 'Ginny will be safe now. I'm glad we were able to get her out of there quickly.' He nodded towards Harry. Harry smiled back, but in the back of his mind, he asked himself if Ron would still smile if he knew what Harry was feeling for his little sister. He knew Ginny was not a girl anymore, but it was not something Ron would have thought off. Probably his best friend would blow up against him if he knew the truth.

'Let's go have some dinner,' Ron exclaimed. 'I'm hungry.' He sped off, not even looking behind to see if Harry and Hermione were following him. Both friends shared a long look, grinned knowingly, and followed Ron down towards the doors of the Great Hall to eat.

Harry spent the next few days talking to Ginny. The red-haired girl took her captivity very well, although she sometimes pulled back from everybody to have a moment to herself. Harry, in the meantime, was avoiding questions from his friends about his short conversation with Dumbledore. He had just smiled and told them to wait for Thursday evening. Hermione had huffed and Ron had grumbled, but both had not asked him again. They knew when they were not able to get anything out of him. Thursday arrived, and Harry excused himself after dinner. He walked to the Room of Requirement. He pictured a large room in his mind, large enough to hold several duals. In the middle would be a raised dais, surrounded by magical wards to repel errant spell fire.

Harry nervously paced in the Room of Requirement. Within minutes the first students would appear, chatting animatedly about the class Harry was going to teach. Like always when speaking to a crowd, he was nervous. At seven most students had assembled in the large room, looking around in awe. Harry had created the room in his mind. He had hoped the students would love it. It made it so much easier to start with his first lesson.

'Welcome everybody,' Harry said after several minutes. He stepped onto the podium and looked around with a smile on his face. 'Welcome to this course. I will be the one teaching it.' He heard whispers, but didn't pay any attention to them. 'We will meet once a week. Every time we meet, a Professor will be here to grade you and keep an eye out for everybody that tries to create trouble. We don't want trouble here, understood?' The students nodded.

'Great,' Harry said. 'Some of you have participated in the DA previous year. They will be moved towards senior positions in this class. The main goal here is to prepare you for the war that is brewing outside. You'll learn practical defense in this classroom, as well as some offensive hexes that could help you out.' He looked around with a hard expression on his face. 'This club is meant to be able to survive. You'll learn how to survive sudden attacks from Death Eaters and other dark creatures.' He took a deep breath. 'Previous year this club was named Dumbledore's Army, just to crap the hell out of Umbridge. However, myself and the Headmaster have decided that a new name was needed. From now on, we will be called the Hogwarts Defense Army, the HDA.'

Applause greeted his last words. There were mostly Gryffindor's in attendance, but Harry could see a lot of faces he knew from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Only the House of Slytherin was noticeably absent from the club. Harry grimaced. He had known Malfoy and his cronies had a large hold over their House, but he had somehow still hoped that some more moderate Slyhterin's would join in. In total, Harry still counted over sixty students.

They practiced shielding charms and stunning hexes during the class. Harry walked around and gave some people tips. He saw that most had the basics of the spells under control, but that most of the students lacked the power and the agility to really hit their opponent right. They wouldn't stand a chance of Death Eaters decided to attack them. Harry silently cursed Umbridge over and over again for the lack of vision and faith the Ministry had portrayed. Their stubborn resistance to the fact that Voldemort had indeed returned would cost lives. A lot of lives, Harry feared.

After one hour, he stopped the lesson. 'Thank you all for coming today,' he said to the assembled group of students. 'We'll see each other next week, same time, same location. I would like you to keep practicing over the coming days. I won't slow down in this class because some of you can't keep up.' The students nodded and walked from the room. Harry remained to clean up, a smile plastered on his face. He had done well, and knew he had – in his own way – contributed to the war-effort against one Voldemort.


	16. 15 Finding Love

**15**

**Finding Love**

Harry briskly walked towards Dumbledore's office. He had been invited for another trip into the past of one Tom Riddle. He did not look forward to seeing the man become the evil monster that he was today, but he understood that it was necessary if they wanted to have a chance of beating him. Voldemort would not wait for them to figure out a way to destroy him. He would strike again and again until he had what he wanted.

Harry took several deep breaths before entering Dumbledore's office. In the past two weeks, the old Headmaster had been training him twice a week. Harry could feel himself improve. He drew heavily on the bond he had with Ginny, and he was sure Ginny was feeling what he did. She did not object, however. She smiled and supported him in everything he did. She was a wonderful friend. A smile played on Harry's lips as his mind wandering on Ginny Weasley. He was pulled out of his nice thoughts when Dumbledore greeted him warmly.

'Today we will see a vital piece of information,' Dumbledore told him as he poured a memory into his Pensieve. 'I've been in grave danger to collect this memory. It is from one Madame Rumelia Vane. She's old now, but fifty years ago she was living a royal life in a land house outside Birmingham. This is where we will find some answers on how Tom Riddle survived his own Killing Curse.' The eyes of the Headmaster bore into Harry's as he spoke. Harry nodded, eager to watch the memory. No matter how gruesome it would be, he would look and try to understand everything he saw. It was his life-task. Together, Harry and the Headmaster delved into the swirling depths of the memory.

_Rumelia Vane looked up as a young man entered. Her smile broadened. 'Tom!' she exclaimed, rising from her chair. 'How good to see you. How are you, dear boy?' Tom Riddle looked at her. He was still a handsome young man, but there was some kind of darkness swirling around him. His eyes were cold. His face had lost it's healthy color and was pale._

'_I've been busy,' Tom replied calmly. 'I've been doing a lot of … research.' For a moment his eyes blazed. 'I've been pushing the boundaries of magic to see what is really possible.' He sat himself down near the fire._

'_Good, good,' Madame Vane said happily. She was seemingly unaware of the darkness around the man. The old lady took out a locket. It seemed old and of great value to Harry. He looked on as the old lady showed the locket to Tom, who was eagerly taking it and spinning it in his hands. A hungry look crossed his face for a fraction of a second. Just as he opened his mouth, another person came bursting into the room, his face a mask of fury. _

'_You!' the man exclaimed. 'I told you not to come here. You're just after the wealth of my Mother. Get out of the house!' The man stepped forward. He was large, but Tom Riddle didn't seem put out by the fact that the towering man was advancing on him. A small smile deformed his face and made it look more and more like a snake. The locket was firmly held in his hand. It seemed Tom had unconsciously drawn it towards his own body. His wand was in his other hand, black and dangerous, crackling with magic. 'Rome!' Madame Vane said in a loud voice. 'I'm sure this is not necessary. Tom just came to…'_

_The room darkened. Tom Riddle rose from his seat and waved his wand. A green light filled the room. Harry took a step back as the body of the man fell lifeless to the floor. Tom Riddle screamed too. He staggered one step. The locket in his hand glowed with intense black light. The ground shook for a moment. The scream seemed to echo in the roam, as Tom Riddle stood upright again. It seemed his eyes had lost their color, and were now black and red. The swirling subsided, but red tinges remained visible. He breathed heavily. Madame Vane shrieked. Her eyes were glued to the body on the ground. Tom Riddle did not seen that bothered at al. _

'_What have you done?' Madame Vane shrieked. 'You killed my son! You … you killed my only living blood relative!' Insanity was clearly visible on the stricken face of the lady. Tom Riddle looked at her. His eyes were burning and the darkness around him swelled. 'I've done what I had to do,' he said slowly. 'He was a liability. An obstacle in my way to greatness. Nobody stands in my way, not anymore.' His arms trembled._

'_You're a monster,' Madame Vane said slowly. She backed away, eying the object in the hands of Riddle like it was a giant snake. Riddle laughed at her, then aimed his wand. 'I will not kill you Madame,' he said in voice cold as ice. 'You will live with the shame of losing your family. You will only remember that you found your son dead in the house.' The room seemed to darken as Riddle uttered a spell Harry had never heard before. He felt himself being pulled out of the memory, away from the gruesome scene. _

Harry gasped and stared at the Headmaster. Dumbledore seemed to have aged ten years in front of his eyes. 'That's … that's monstrous,' Harry said after a long moment of oppressive silence. 'Kill to gain immortality. Take lives away in order to save your own. It's disgusting.' He shook his head. He already knew Voldemort was not fully human anymore, he had seen that with his own eyes multiple times. It was shocking to see how far the young Tom Riddle had been willing to go to gain power and immortality, however. Harry knew that this had been a point of no return. Once Riddle had ripped his soul and tore it apart, he had become the cruel and evil being he was today. He had become Voldemort that very night.

'This is the greatest secret and fear of Lord Voldemort,' Dumbledore said. 'He ensured his immortality in the most gruesome and dark way possible. This is the key to defeating him. However, we must find out where the soul-pieces are, and how they are protected.' He smiled. 'We already have scored one hit. I believe the diary young Miss Weasley was writing in was a soul-part of Voldemort. They are called Horcruxes. I believe you already destroyed one, Harry.'

Harry blinked. He could not believe that Ginny had actually been writing to a soul-piece of Voldemort himself. Of course, he had known the diary had been something evil. It had been powerful too. But this, this was something different entirely. 'She won't have lingering effects from it, would she?' he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Dumbledore shook his head. 'She should not,' he said reassuringly. 'Else, it would have been obvious so many years later. Miss Weasley was lucky to escape with only her own mind, though. You saved her from a terrible fate.' He smiled at Harry. Harry nodded. His emotions calmed a little bit. He knew Ginny was safe from Voldemort, but he had somehow always feared that some part of the dark wizard was still inside Ginny, that somehow he would still be able to pull some strings and influence the life of the youngest Weasley.

'You should go back to your common room Harry,' Dumbledore said. 'Think about what you have seen. We will see each other next week. The training will be hard, but you now have a clear goal. I can't yet show you everything I know, for you must be ready to face it. But believe me, the Order is doing all she can to safeguard you and your friends. You're not in this war alone, Harry.'

Ginny waited for Harry to return to the common room. She could feel his shock and revulsion. She could feel his emotions like they were a giant storm, ready to sweep everything and everybody away. She bit her lip and waited. After what seemed like a century, Harry emerged from the portrait hole.

Without thinking about what she was doing, she hugged Harry. For a moment, Harry was startled. Then, he hugged her back. 'Thank you for waiting for me,' he whispered. 'I needed to see you Ginny. I … I've just got some answers on a lot of heavy questions.' He shivered. Ginny led him to the couch near the fire. Both of them sat down facing each other. 'Tell me,' Ginny said.

'I'm not supposed to tell anybody,' Harry explained. 'But you are different. We share a bond. We share a life-debt. You should know.' He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. 'I survived the Killing Curse because of my mother's protection,' he explained. He knew that Ginny already knew parts of his life story, but he needed for her to see the full picture. 'Voldemort was destroyed, but not dead. His spirit lived on and came back two years ago. Until tonight, I had no idea how he had done that … survive the Killing Curse, I mean.' Harry shook his head. 'He did something more gruesome and dark than even I could phantom. He ripped his soul apart using murder. A life taken for a life given, you could say that. Voldemort ripped his soul into pieces, and stored those pieces inside objects of his own choice. That way, he can never die. Not until all of his soul vessels are destroyed.' Harry shivered. 'The call them Horcruxes. It's supposed to be the darkest magic possible.'

'He is a beast' Ginny said slowly after a few minutes of stunned silence. 'This is horrific, but it sounds like something Tom Riddle would do. Even in school he was a monster. He bullied students, studied dark magic and manipulated everybody he could get his hands on.' She shook her head. 'I know better than everybody else – except maybe you – how Voldemort works.'

Harry blinked with his eyes. He silently cursed himself for his stupidity. Of course Ginny knew better than any other person alive how Voldemort worked. She had been battling a teen-version of the Dark Lord for months herself. She had seen the insides of Voldemort himself. 'Do you often think of it?' he asked. 'About the time the diary possessed you?'

'Sometimes,' Ginny said. She bit her lip as she thought about it. She had never really talked with anybody about what had happened to her. Certainly not with one Harry Potter, sitting next to her and listening intently. 'I was a wreck for most of the summer. Had panic attacks and nightmares until well into my second year.' She shrugged. 'I got on top of them. With time, every wound heels. I know I'm not powerful or very smart, but I know I'm tough.'

'You're not weak or stupid,' Harry said quickly. 'You're smart, and a powerful witch on your own. I saw you fight with the Death Eaters, and you are one of the best students in the HDA.' He locked his eyes to hers. 'You are stunning, and brave, and the best friend I could wish for.' He smiled at her.

'How do you know?' Ginny asked him with an edge in her voice. 'How do you know what I am? You know me, that's for sure, but why are you saying this?'

'I love you,' Harry said. It was true. He could see it clear as dawn now. He could feel Ginny's utter shock through their bond. Then, happiness flooded him. Ginny closed her eyes for a moment. 'You have no idea,' she whispered. 'How long I have been dreaming about you saying those three words.' She smiled and opened her eyes. 'This was better than any dream, let me tell you that.'

Harry smiled. Then, eyes locked, the two of them slowly leaned into each other to share their first kiss. Hogwarts shook as a powerful burst of magic enveloped the castle. Far away, hooded Death Eaters stopped in their tracks, feeling the magic in their bones. Dementors drifted back to the shadows, and members of the Order of the Phoenix stared at each other in wonderment at what they had just felt. A new power was born into the wizarding world.


	17. 16 The Power Unleashed

**16**

**The Power Unleashed **

Harry blasted his hexes against the shield Dumbledore had put up. The old Headmaster did not seem hesitant when he side-stepped a curse and shot a deep red curse towards Harry. Harry dove out of the way and quickly returned with his own spell-fire. Sweat dripped from his head. His breath was winded, but he was secretly pleased with how well he was holding out against Dumbledore. He had come a long way in his training already.

He had found out that his magical abilities had been quickly gaining power since he had kissed Ginny. He had no idea why, but the fact was that his spells were increasing in power quickly. He could already hold out against Dumbledore in a normal duel, and sometimes even got a stunner past the old man's shield. Dumbledore was still vastly superior to himself, but for the first time since their training had begun, Harry had the idea that he was making the Headmaster truly work for his money.

Dumbledore fired another powerful stunner. Harry was backed against the wall and knew he could not evade it. 'Here goes nothing,' he growled. He concentrated on Ginny more than he had ever done before. He could feel her in every part of himself, glowing like a light in the darkness. He felt something shift deep inside of himself, like some kind of dam was broken down. Magic cursed through him as he raised his hand and cast a shield. The shield appeared just as the stunner exploded against it. The ground shook from the impact. Harry was pressed against the wall and blinked with his eyes. He had actually managed to deflect the curse Dumbledore had sent towards him.

The Headmaster smiled. 'Well done,' he said. 'You are truly becoming a powerful young wizard Harry.' He wept the sweat of his brow and looked sharply at his young pupil. 'What did you do at the end? With the shield? You seemed to be glowing with magic. You did it wandlessly.' The words of the Headmaster were kind, but Harry could see his mind working furiously.

'Wandless magic,' Harry said more to himself than to the Headmaster. 'This is wicked. I don't even know how I did it.' He concentrated. 'I think I just let the magic do it. It pulses inside me. I can feel it. I just let it loose, doing what had to be done to block the stunner you send at me.'

If the Headmaster was shocked by what Harry said, he did not show it. The old man nodded and looked at Harry. 'Maybe you should return to the tower now,' he said slowly. 'This was an intense duel. Take your rest, because tomorrow you will have classes again.' Harry nodded, bid the Headmaster his farewell and left the oval office.

Dumbledore looked at the door Harry Potter had just pulled close. His brow furrowed in thought. The young man amazed him. He had survived more encounters with Voldemort than anybody else. He had heard what the Prophecy said, but he was not fazes by it. He had good friends and seemed to be growing close with Miss Ginny Weasley. What had truly stunned Dumbledore, however, was the fastness with which the young man's magic was growing. It took most wizard nearly ten year after Hogwarts to reach their full potential. But Harry was already able to beat every student single-handedly, Dumbledore guessed. And he began to suspect that Harry was hiding some things from him. He did not distrust the boy, but he knew he had to keep a close watch on him if he wanted Harry to survive. The boy was stubborn, sometimes even too stubborn for his own good. He needed a guiding hand in this war.

Harry and Ginny spent most of their evenings together. Harry knew Hermione suspected something, and even Ron seemed to slowly be catching up with what was happening. Harry was in no hurry to tell them both. He knew Ron would seek to argue with him. He had always had a week spot when it came to Ginny, whom he still referred to as 'his little sister'. Hermione would ask tons of questions and treat them as some kind of interesting research project. Harry was not willing to accept that.

As he smiled at Ginny, he silently communicated with her. _Tonight there's another HDA class. I'm going to get them to duel. It should be fun. _Ginny nodded and thought for a moment._ It should be_, she said in a slow voice_, I'm wondering … will you participate yourself? _She looked at him questioningly.

Harry pondered her question for a minute. He had not thought about participating in the duels himself, but it seemed like a lot of fun. He could really test his new abilities against other opponents. A feral grin appeared on his face as he nodded. Ginny giggled softly.

Harry caught Hermione looking at them. He raised his eyebrow. The girl just shook her head and returned to her books. _She suspects something, _he said in his mind to Ginny. _We can't keep this a secret much longer. I fear we will also have to tell Ron. _He dreaded it, that was for sure. He loved Ron like a brother, but sometimes he could be a real pain in the arse. He needed to grow up and accept that he could not decide Ginny's life any longer. Some of his irritation must have slipped through their bond, for Ginny hugged him quickly and gave him a beautiful smile.

'Don't do that to me,' Harry said in a playful tone. 'You distract me, Ginny Weasley. If you do this to me often enough, I can't fight the Death Eaters anymore.' He grinned and shook his head. 'I've thought about it. If I'm thinking of you while fighting this war, every Death Eater would be able to sneak up on me and beat me to bloody pulp.'

Ginny laughed and pushed him playfully. 'Don't say things like that,' she scolded him lightly. 'You could get hurt. Train hard, and it will be alright. You saved me from them after all.' Harry could feel her love and gratefulness shining brightly through the bond he shared with the red-haired Weasley. He closed his eyes for a moment and reveled in the warm feeling. He wanted it to last forever, and could not fathom how he had survived for so many years without his connection to Ginny Weasley. It was part of him now, and kept him going. _I will kill Voldemort myself if I have too, _he reasoned to himself grimly, _I now know I can cast the Killing Curse. I hate it and loathe it, but against Tom Riddle, I will be able to use it. _

Once all the students had assembled in the large room, Harry turned around and smiled at them. 'Welcome for another round,' he exclaimed loudly as he paced on the podium in the front of the room. 'Today we will be examining your dueling skills. I know we've got some experience from the DADA lessons, but I doubt it will be enough against Death Eaters.' Half of the room shuddered, and some of the students seemed to be sick. Harry mentally shook his head. How would they even be able to defend themselves from attacks if the mere mention of Death Eaters left them reeling? He did not know the answer. 'I want you to follow me. I've created a challenge that looks a lot like Diagon Alley. We use stunners and minor hexes only.' He looked around. 'If you are hit, you will immediately be transported back to this room. Understood?'

The students nodded. Most of them seemed exited. Harry knew that they would not be laughing again in several minutes. He had spent three hours making the illusion as best as he could. He had created Death Eaters who would appear and fire curses, sneak up on them and fight with battle-hardened fury. He doubted many students would be able to survive for long. 'Begin!'

The students plunged into the illusion. Harry followed at a slower pace, taking the time to assess the situation. His wand was loosely in his hand as he let his magic build up until it soared inside of him. Ginny appeared beside him, a gleam in her eyes as she scanned the path ahead. Already they could see spell-fire in the distance, and the shouts of students. Harry grinned. 'I think there being eaten alive out there,' he explained. 'Let's check it out.' Together, the two teens made their way into the murky illusion of Diagon Alley.

It didn't took Harry long to figure out what was going on. Most of the students had plunged into the street without a strategy. As the Death Eaters had begun their barrage and attacks, many students had fallen within seconds. Others had found refuge, but were unable to move. They were pinned down by spells as other Death Eaters advanced on their position. Only six students had stormed a building and seemed to be organizing a defense. Harry could see Neville, Ron and Hermione among them, as well as two Ravenclaws and one Hufflepuff. His smile broadened for a second.

Harry did not hesitate. He ran into the street and cast spells as quickly as he could. With Ginny beside him, he was like a war-machine. His magic pulsed and screamed to be used. Two Death Eaters fell to his stunners. He turned towards a third one, blasting him into the wall of a building. The force of his magic made the air around him shake and thrill.

Ginny was a force to be reckoned with on her own. Her hexes took out a Death Eater and forced a second one into the defense. More and more students were looking at the pair from the next room, awed by the way they moved. It seemed almost as if they knew where the other was. Their spell-work was perfectly timed to each other. Two more Death Eaters crumbled under their attack. Ron watched in awe as his best mate unleashed a barrage of stunners on the black-robed figures that were attacking his own position. He had been able to dive for cover and quickly hooked up with Hermione and Neville. They had been able to keep the attackers at bay, but had not been able to fight back. The spell-fire had been too intense. Ron had always prided himself on his abilities to play strategies in chess. He could see how many students were hopelessly trapped and taken out by the Death Eaters. He had cursed loudly.

Harry was taking on three Death Eaters on his own. He seemed to move like a snake, avoiding curses or shielding himself. His wand blazed as curse after curse was fired at his enemies. Within a minute, all three were down. Only a handful of students was still standing. Much of the road had been destroyed. There were holes in the ground, buildings crumbled and glass had shattered. Smoke obscured some of their vision. Ron came out, wand still drawn. He did not know what Harry had in store in this vision. It could well be that he would conjure another wave of attackers. The silence stretched on. 'You can drop your wands,' Harry said in a tired voice. 'There gone. I stopped the illusion. There is no more danger.' He smirked as he surveyed the survivors. Only nine students had made it out, among them those who had participated in the battle in the Ministry: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna Lovegood. Harry had been right. Most of the students had been unable to last even for a couple of minutes in a real-life battle experience. Ron, however, had other things on his mind.

'Mate,' Ron said awestruck. 'That was bloody amazing!' For once, Hermione did not scold him for his language.


	18. 17 The Malfoy Problem

**Hello everybody. Here is the next chapter in his story. I want to tell you all how gratefull I am for a your reviews. It's fantastic to see how so many people are following this story. This is what it's all about. To me, as a writer, this is the greatest achievement that I can get. So keep going and reviewing :) it fuels me haha!**

**17**

**The Malfoy Problem**

Harry walked down towards the Great Hall. His mind was pondering the question Ginny had asked him the previous evening. How were they going to tell Ron? Harry knew it had to be done quickly, since his best friends was already seeing some of the signs. Hermione was even more inquiring. He sighted and shook his head. One problem at a time, he reminded himself.

He sat himself down at the Gryffindor table and began to eat. His mind once again wandered off towards his training. Ever since he and Ginny had kissed, he had felt his magic increase. He had talked to Ginny about it. She seemed to notice it too. Her lessons were becoming easier and easier, and her spells had become significantly more powerful. Harry had conceded to her that he thought that Dumbledore wanted to use their bond. Ginny had vehemently said that would not happen.

Harry agreed with her. He did not want their bond to be used by anybody as some kind of a study object. This was theirs, and theirs only. _I will use it to defeat Voldemort if I have to, _he reminded himself, _if it takes my love and Ginny to destroy the Horcruxes, so be it, but nobody will be studying our bond. _He had never before in his life felt so certain about something. Dumbledore might know, and might ask questions, but Harry was not about to answer any questions the old Headmaster was going to ask him.

Harry knew he needed the old man to grow his magic. Dumbledore was pushing him to his limits, and beyond. His training was progressing nicely. He was now able to control his wandless magic for the most part. He was also vastly improving in his understanding of Oclummenty and shielding spells. They were now already advancing on dueling tactics and offensive hexes which would be able to take out most enemies and dark creatures. Harry reckoned it wouldn't be too long before he was able to best most of the Death Eaters in one-on-one combat. He just hoped it would eventually be enough to defeat Voldemort once and for all.

Just as he was pondering those facts, Ron and Hermione seated themselves next to him. He greeted them and took some toast for breakfast. Soon, Ginny sat herself down at the table, her face still full of sleep. She smiled at Harry, and he could feel her love through their bond. That made him smile back just as wide as she was.

_Maybe we should tell him, _Ginny said in his mind. Harry blinked with his eyes and felt himself become uncertain. He had not thought about telling Ron just out of the blue like this. He was unprepared. He looked at his best friend, who was already eating his second sandwich and seemed oblivious to the world around him as he was eating. That was something Harry had become accustomed too in the past few years at Hogwarts. He did not feel revolted anymore.

_Shall we tell him? _Harry asked in his mind. He shared a quick look with Ginny, who was smiling at him. _Yes, _she send back to him, _we should tell him. This is a good chance. But I warn you, he might not take it lightly. We both know how Ron can be. _Her smile broadened a fraction of a second.

'Ron,' Harry said. 'We need to tell you something.' He gripped Ginny's hand tightly. He was not looking forward to this conversation, but he knew he had to tell him something before it was too late.

'What is it?' Ron said, concern in his voice. 'Is something wrong?' He looked at Harry and Ginny. Hermione sat down next to him and had a knowing smile on her lips. Just as she was about to say something, Ron looked at their intertwined hands on the table. His eyebrows rose as his face registered shock. He looked up sharply. 'Are you dating my little sister, Harry James Potter?' His voice was neutral, but had a hint of steel. Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion as she looked at Ron, obviously surprised by his harsh tone.

'Ron, we have been dating for weeks,' Ginny spat. 'So shut up.'

'Are you with my sister?' Ron said in a loud voice. His head was red and his eyes were shooting daggers at Harry. 'Tell me! Tell me what you did with my little baby sister!'

Harry was about to respond when Ginny cut in. 'Ron!' she said, her fists balled on the table. 'Sit down and shut up!' Ron eyed her angrily and was obviously not willing to abide to her wishes. 'Me and Harry have been a couple for weeks now. Do you want to know why we didn't tell you?' Her voice rose and started shaking. Harry smiled. She looked just like Ms. Weasley when she was angry, and he hoped she would not get this angry at him soon. Harry could feel her anger through their bond and had to hide a smile. 'We did not tell you because we knew you would be acting like a complete git, you stupid ox. We knew you would explode like this and not listen to our reason anymore, so what do you think we wanted to do? Tell you only to be screamed at? Newsflash, Ronald! I'm old enough to make my own choices now, and you've got no say in how I live my life. Even if I date or shag Harry!' Ron seemed to calm down as he was faced with his furious little sister, who was pointing out his flaws. His face twisted once he heard the word 'shag' though.

'Ron, sit down,' Harry said. 'We have something we need to tell you.' He looked at Ginny, who nodded at him. Ron sat himself down and crossed his arms. He was obviously not pleased. 'We are indeed together. We did not tell you right away, you are right in that. We had our reasons, however, and you just showed one of the most important of them.'

'Why didn't you tell me earlier?' Ron said defeated.

'Because of this kind of reaction,' Harry said in a stony voice. 'You need to understand the simple fact that you can't control Ginny. She can control her own life, Ron. She's old and more than wise enough.' He smiled at Ginny as he said those words. 'We are together, and that won't change, even though you seem to disagree.' He locked eyes with Ron, daring him to say anything.

Ron opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He shared a long look with Hermione. He seemed to come to some kind of a decision then. He nodded. 'Alright then,' he said slowly. 'Maybe I did overreact. I'm just not used to my sister being with a boyfriend.' He shrugged. 'But if I had to choose somebody for her to be with, it would be you Harry. I trust you mate, you know that. I…'

'Well, well, Potter.' The voice of Draco Malfoy drawled behind them. Harry closed his eyes for a second and turned around. 'What do you want Malfoy?' he said in an icy voice. He did not want to deal with Draco Malfoy right now.

'I just noticed the reaction of the Weasal,' Draco said and looked with a smirk at Ron. 'I see he finally noticed you were dating the Weaselette?' His look took on Ginny, and Harry did not like what he saw. 'I did not believe you could get even lower, Potter, but you continue to surprise me. That, I must admit.'

'Malfoy,' Harry said slowly as he felt his anger boil inside of him. It seemed to grow with every second. 'Get off. We don't want you here, understand? We were just having a normal conversation, that's all. What is Ginny to you anyway?' He shook his head. 'You never even talk to her, you know, so shut up and get going before I lose my temper.'

'Maybe I will take her myself someday,' Malfoy said in half-whisper.

Ron stood up, his face red, cursing loudly. Even Hermione did not seem to mind Ron as she almost growled at Malfoy. Something inside Harry snapped. Before he knew what was going on, he stood and outstretched his hand. Magic flowed through his body. Malfoy was thrown away almost thirty meters and landed in a heap on the floor. Harry advanced on him, fire in his eyes. He summoned the wand of Malfoy. 'Never again will you threaten Ginny,' he screamed. The wand burst into flames as it was only halfway. A shrieking wind howled through the hall as the temperature seemed to drop. The ground shook with magic. 'Did you hear me? I've had enough of you! You will not touch my Ginny!' His magic roared in his ears, the power almost blinding his senses.

Malfoy stood up. His eyes were wide as he backed up step by step. His face had lost all of its color as he saw Harry advancing on him. Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard people scream and call out to somebody. The magic in him ignored it, however. He raised his hand again. The memory of him casting the Killing Curse flashed in his mind and made him stop dead in his tracks. He blinked with his eyes and became aware of their surroundings. They were in the middle of the Great Hall. Hundreds of students looked at him. Their looks were frightened. Some younger students were crying.

Harry bit his lip and fought his own magic. The magic inside of him was still trying to hurt Malfoy, recognizing he was a danger. Harry did not want to kill another person. Sweat poured from his face. He saw Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall come closer. 'Don't come near me,' he said. 'It's something with my magic.' He locked eyes with the Headmaster. 'I have to wage this battle.'

One person did not listen to him. Ginny advanced on him. Harry was about to shout out a warning when she was already near him. She hugged him and stayed that way. 'It's alright,' she whispered in his ear. 'Let it go Harry. I know you can win this fight. I can feel it. I can feel it in our bond.' She smiled at him, not breaking eye contact once she did so.

Harry felt himself relax. With some effort, he was able to push his magic away and down into his body. He let out a huge breath and closed his eyes for a moment before looking to Dumbledore. 'It's over,' he said in a broken voice. 'What was that Professor? What happened?' Deep down, he was frightened. He had never lost control of his magic like that before.

'This was bound to happen one way or another I believe,' Dumbledore said as he laid a hand on Harry's trembling shoulder. 'Your magic is growing at an incredible rate at this point, Harry. You're going to learn to harness that power. That's what we have been doing for the past months.' He smiled slowly. 'You have just witnessed what could happen if you are under a lot of stress, or if you are suddenly provoked. You can't control your magic at full capacity just yet.'

Harry slowly nodded. He looked around and registered the many students who were still staring at them. His shoulders sagged. He would have to explain to the students what had happened during his HDA classes, and he was dreading it. He knew many people looked up at him. 'Maybe you should go back to the Gryffindor Tower,' Dumbledore said in a low voice. 'I'm sure you want to talk with your friends right now. You're all excused for classes.' With those words, Dumbledore turned around and walked away, followed by the other Professors. Snape sneered at him. Harry sighted and looked at his friends. They smiled at him and nodded. The entire group made its way back to the Tower.


	19. 18 The Horcrux

**18**

**Horcrux**

Harry walked into Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster was already sitting behind his large desk, waiting for him. Harry sat himself down and looked into the eyes of the old Headmaster. 'You wanted to speak to me?' he asked in a low voice. He knew this would be about the incident with Malfoy. A full week had passed, and still Harry felt the shock in his bones. He had almost lost complete control over his magic. He had almost intentionally hurt somebody without the dire need of self-defense. It was sickening.

'Yes,' Dumbledore sighted. 'You need to understand several things before we can continue with our quest. You are a very powerful wizard, Harry. And your powers are growing almost daily now.' Dumbledore bend towards him. 'You need to keep a constant watch on it Harry. Magic is not just some tool that we have. It's a living thing, an entity of its own. You need to control it.'

Harry nodded. He had already figured that part out. It did him no good to be remembered of his failure all over again. He shook his head. 'I don't understand it,' he muttered. 'Malfoy never got a rise out of me like that before. I wasn't even trying to hurt him. The magic just … took over.' He shuddered. That sounded an awful lot like somebody or something possessing him.

'Magic is a friend,' Dumbledore said softly. 'But it grows on its own rate. That's why younger students can't do third year spells. They are not used to their magic, and their magic is not as trained. It needs to grow powerful before students can progress.' The old man sighted. 'You are another story. Circumstances force us to speed up the natural process. Voldemort had fifty years of advantage over you, and we are challenging your body and your magic hard to fill that gap. That takes its toll, or so it seems.'

Harry though about what the Headmaster was telling him. He knew he had not been possessed. But the thought had made him uneasy and restless. The memories of the Department of Mysteries were still too fresh. 'How will I be able to control it?' he asked in a steely voice. He would not give up. Not now.

'You need to work with it,' Dumbledore explained as he rose from his fluffy seat. 'You need to grow familiar with your magic, and with its growing powers. It's not about subduing of forcing it, but to control the flow. The flow does not have a brain, but you have. You need to learn to control it.'

Harry let out a huge breath. He knew he was able to control it. He had done it before, and had used his magic all the time in classes and in the corridors. Their training also hadn't been a problem. So what was it about Malfoy that made him lose control like that? He pondered the question in his mind. 'Malfoy said something about Ginny,' he mumbled. 'I snapped. Could it be that? Could that be the trigger of me losing control?'

'That seems likely,' Dumbledore conceded. 'You feel very strongly for Ginny, so your magic is attuned to that. Sudden bursts of emotion could destroy your still weak control.' He nodded slowly, stroking his long grey beard. 'Ginny maybe is your weak spot. You should think about that and find a way to keep your magic in control, even when Ginny is concerned.'

'I will try,' Harry said slowly.

'Good,' Dumbledore replied. 'Now, I've made you come here for another bit of interesting news. I hope you have slept well the past nights Harry.' The eyes of the old Headmaster twinkled. 'Because we are having a trip tonight. We have located the possible location of one of the Horcruxes. We believe we have found the ring of Gaunt.'

Harry looked up sharply. He had known the Order of the Phoenix had been searching for the Horcruxes, but he had not imaged they could have met with success this fast. Then, another important realization hit him. 'I can come with you?' he asked awed. He had though that Dumbledore would want him to stay behind and wait for him, so as to not put him in any more danger than he already was. The revealing that he could come along was staggering.

'Yes,' Dumbledore said warmly. 'You can come with me. We are leaving in ten minutes. I already have a portkey. Make sure you have your wand with you all the time. It could be dangerous out there, and we don't know what kind of defenses Voldemort has placed to protect a part of his soul.'

Dumbledore and Harry appeared outside of the village. The icy wind swept past them. Dark clouds promised rain in the skies. Harry shivered and looked around. Something about this place left him feeling dirty, like an echo of evil was residing in the land. He could see no human beings, nor any sign of activity in the small village in the valley. Darkness swallowed it whole.

'The House of Gaunt is down the road,' Dumbledore explained. 'We need to be very careful, Harry. I doubt Voldemort has left his Horcrux behind without any serious magical protection. Dark magic.'

Harry nodded. As they made their way towards the house, Harry could feel the darkness growing in intensity. It felt as if hundreds of unseen eyes were watching him from the shadows. Without thinking about it, he called forth his magic. The humming and throbbing made him feel at ease. Dumbledore stopped and looked at the ruins of the old house. The house had not been large, and it had been in a sorry state when young Tom Riddle had committed his first murder. He had made his first step in becoming Lord Voldemort in the very house they were now looking at.

'Do you sense anything Harry?' Dumbledore asked him suddenly.

Harry blinked with his eyes and looked around. 'I sense darkness,' he said in a whisper. 'Dark magic has been used here. It chills me to the bone.' He shuddered and forced himself to speak in a louder voice. 'I feel like there is something or somebody watching me. It freaks me out, to be honest.'

'Your senses are correct,' Dumbledore said warmly. 'There is some magic here, we can both feel that. We now have to see what it is. I want the ring, but we need to be cautious all the time.'

Dumbledore advanced on the house. Harry followed him, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement or trouble. The place seems eerily quit, too quit. Harry watched as Dumbledore stopped before the house. The Headmaster seemed to be talking to himself while he was waving his hands in an intricate pattern. Magic hummed in the area. Harry could feel the darkness swelling, rising towards the sudden challenge of the old Headmaster. A loud bang reverberated as the wards around the house came down.

Harry stepped closer. 'Are you alright Headmaster?' he asked. Dumbledore had closed his eyes and was breathing heavily. 'I'm okay Harry,' he said after a long minute. 'I'm okay. The wards were dark magic, and it cost me a large part of my magic to break them up.' He sighted. 'We still need to be careful. I think Voldemort has placed more traps inside of the house.'

They entered the destroyed house and walked straight to the living room. Harry looked around. His senses were assaulted by dark memories. Murder had been committed in this house. He could almost hear Riddle scream the Killing Curse, his voice still young and without a hiss. He could feel how two persons had been killed in cold blood. The darkness assaulted him and made him want to vomit. 'The murder was in this room,' he whispered.

'Yes,' Dumbledore said. 'I believe the ring should be here somewhere. Voldemort would have left it here, in the room where he pushed his first great success in achieving his goal. We have already seen in the memories that Tom Riddle was a possessive and proud man.' The old Headmaster smiled. 'Now we just need to find it before anybody finds us.'

They searched the room, but did not find anything. Harry cursed and looked around again. His eyes fell on a spot on the floor. It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary was there, but Harry could faintly feel something coming from that spot. He walked towards the spot and bend down.

'Have you found something Harry?' Dumbledore asked him.

Harry nodded. He pointed at the spot, hesitant to come near it. 'There is something evil over there,' he said in a hard voice. 'I can feel it very faintly. I can't see anything though. Maybe it's nothing.' Dumbledore watched closely at the point Harry was indicating. He furrowed his brow in confusion and seemed to hesitate for a moment before stepping forward. A rushing wind shrieked through the room as Dumbledore bend down and touched something.

Dumbledore staggered back. His whole body shook violently. Harry could feel the darkness engulfing the Headmaster. He screamed, but the wind prevented him from calling out loud. He could feel Ginny watching through the bond. He could feel her horror about what was happening. _Harry, get out of there! It's a trap! It's him … it's Tom! _Her voice sounded frantic.

Harry shook his head. He would not leave his Headmaster behind in this cursed house. He needed to do something. He took a step forward and took a deep breath. He unleashed his magic in a crashing wave, attacking the darkness that was assailing the Headmaster. The darkness screamed at him and attacked him, throwing illusions, curses and icy cold his way. He could hear his mother screaming in his mind. Harry bit his lip and tasted blood. He refused to back down and attacked again and again, using everything he got.

_Harry Potter. _The icy voice of Voldemort screamed inside of his mind. _I can see your deepest fears. I know how to destroy you. _The icy wind chilled him down to his bones, slowly taking away his energies. Harry poured more magic into himself, fighting the cold and the hissing voice. Sweat poured down his brow. 'I will not bow,' he growled as he took another step forward. 'I will not bow down before you Voldemort. Not now, not ever again. I can defeat you.' The wind howled stronger, but Harry was not cowed anymore. He unleashed his magic with a feral scream and tore the darkness apart, forced his way through. He reached Dumbledore and pushed the darkness away from him.

Dumbledore looked up. The man looked worn down, as if he had gone through a horrendous ordeal. His eyes were tired and sunken into his face. His hair seemed greyer than before. 'Harry,' he croaked. 'You did it. You defeated the soul of Lord Voldemort.' Harry blinked with his eyes and looked down to the floor. He saw the ring. The ring with a bright green emerald, which was now broken in half. The crack seemed to bleed blackness. He could no longer feel the unseen eyes watching him. A smile broke on his tired face. He had done it. He had actually succeeded in destroying one of the Horcruxes Voldemort had made to protect himself from death. He had scored his first major victory in this war.

Dumbledore staggered. His eyes closed for a second. 'Are you alright?' Harry asked as he supported Dumbledore. Together they exited the house, Harry holding the broken ring in his right hand. His eyes were on the frail old Headmaster. Dumbledore nodded weakly. 'I was not suspecting something like that to happen,' he admitted. 'I must thank you Harry. You saved my life in there. I knew it was a good decision to take you along with me.'

Harry could not help the smile crossing his face. He pushed the feelings aside as he looked around. 'We need to get out of here,' he said slowly. 'Maybe Voldemort doesn't know yet, but I'm certain that Death Eaters will patrol this area regularly. We need to get back towards Hogwarts.' He left the rest unspoken. Dumbledore was in no condition to fight, and Harry could feel how drained his own magical reserves had become. He could feel Ginny's worry for him.

'I am strong enough to apparate both of us,' Dumbledore said. He steadied himself and took a deep breath. 'Take a hold of my hand Harry.' Harry did as he was told and concentrated on his breathing. Within seconds he could feel the familiar feeling of being squeezed to death for a fraction of a second. The last thing he saw was the eerily dark ruin of the Gaunt house.


	20. 19 The War is Brewing

**So, folks, here we are again. Sorry for the longer than usual delay for updating. I've been busy. This story has no clear storyline. I'm doing this as an exercise. I just write what pops in my head, so it might take longer sometimes to update than other times. I have some nice battles waiting, and I'm slowly working towards them. I'll try to get another chapter up and running this week. Cheers!**

**19**

**The War is Brewing**

Harry sat himself down and began eating his breakfast. His friends were silent as they pondered the news they had read in the Daily Prophet of that morning. A large Death Eater attack had destroyed a busy market in London itself, killing tens of Muggles. Several Aurors were also killed in the ensuing fights with the Death Eaters. Suddenly the War seemed to become very close to the students of Hogwarts, whom had mostly been sheltered by the strong walls and magical protection of the castle. Harry had no such ideas. He had destroyed a Horcrux and faces Voldemort and his Death Eaters more times than he would have liked in his entire life. The war was all too real for him and his friends.

'Another attack in London,' Hermione muttered. 'It seems the Death Eaters are getting bolder. They are striking at the heart of Great Brittain, close to the main buildings of the Ministry of Magic.' She shook her head sadly. 'Why doesn't the Minister or the Order do something?'

'Because they can't,' Neville whispered. He was still reading the article and had a somber expression on his voice. 'You don't understand, Hermione. My grandmother always took me too parties of the higher members of the Ministry. I've seen how they are. They care for nothing but their own wallets and safety. They will not fight.' As he looked up, Harry could see a fire burning in the eyes of his fried. 'The Ministry will not win this war if they keep reacting to Death Eater attacks. They need to take the war to You-Know-Who himself, attack him and his followers. But they do not have the Aurors for that.'

Harry nodded. He had come to that conclusion himself too. The Ministry would not fight, not really. They would try to minimalize the damage and protect the major wizarding places, but nothing more. The Order, in his own opinion, was only slightly better. They reacted to Voldemort and fought him in battle, but there numbers were too few to make a real difference. They were on the defensive, and Voldemort was gaining even more power as they spoke.

'I will not let it happen,' Harry whispered to himself. 'I will not let Voldemort take over the world that is my home.' He knew he was working hard to achieve his goals, but he needed more time. He hated the fact that most people were fighting and sometimes dying for their ideals, whilst Harry himself was safe and sound in Hogwarts itself. He hated the fact that he could not fight in the war together with the members of the Order of the Phoenix. He knew he had the most important job of the war – finding and destroying the Horcruxes of Tom Riddle – and he needed to keep his focus, but it was becoming harder and harder to do just that. Not with so much death happening everywhere.

'I need some fresh air,' Harry mumbled. He stepped up and walked out of the Great Hall. His walk was followed, not only from the concerned friends at the Gryffindor table, but also from the Head table and from the Slytherin table. Some of the older students shared a knowing look, feral grins appearing on their faces. Harry did not see them as he walked towards the lake, where he lowered himself to the ground and thought until the sun went down behind the horizon.

Harry trashed in his bed and moaned softly. His eyes were closed as he battled unseen demons. Sweat poured down his face, a face that was frowning and shaking, as if trying to shake something off. Deep in his mind, however, Harry was seeing through the eyes of another person. A person that was today known as Lord Voldemort to the world.

_Voldemort looked down upon the Death Eaters. All of them were bowing before him, acknowledging his might and magical abilities. Fear hung in the air. For a moment, Voldemort allowed himself to enjoy the feelings of his servants. His smile was dark and menacing._

'_The day has almost come,' he hissed in a low voice. Still, his words reached every corner of the room. 'Our powers are growing stronger every day. Those fools at the Ministry have no idea what is coming. They are frightened of you, my loyal Death Eaters.' He gripped his wand as he walked among the kneeling Death Eaters, who were listening to his every word._

'_My loyal servant Nott has succeeded in placing an Imperious Charm on Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Department.' His words resulted in many Death Eaters whispering excitedly to each other. This was a huge achievement, possibly a turning point in the war._

'_We will kill all the Blood Traitors and Mudbloods,' Voldemort hissed. He looked around, eying his followers. 'Soon my power will be absolute. Soon.' Voldemort was a raging storm of passion, anger and darkness. _

Harry awoke with a gasp. He rushed out of bed and splashed some water on his face. He ran downstairs and stopped dead in his tracks when he found Ginny waiting for him. Her worried eyes focused on him. 'What's wrong?' she asked. 'I could feel your emotions. They woke me up.' She shrugged and smiled. 'I guess I can't help worry about you.'

Harry took a deep breath. He enveloped Ginny in a tight hug for several seconds before letting her go. 'I had a vision,' he explained. 'I saw Voldemort. He … he told his Death Eaters that somebody had succeeded in placing an Imperious Curse on Scrimgeour. He is the head of the Auror department.' Ginny's eyes went wide when Harry told her the news. She had enough brains to tell what this was meaning. The last line of defense of the Ministry of Magic was now under the secret control of Voldemort himself. That meant that the Death Eaters could practically walk in when it pleased them.

'We have to tell somebody,' Ginny whispered urgently.

'I know,' Harry whispered back. He looked around, making sure nodoby was there to hear what he had to say. 'We should tell Dumbledore. He can mobilize the Order and do something. We can't let the Ministry fall without a fight. I believe it's only a question of time before the Death Eaters will strike.' He left the rest of his thoughts unspoken. If Voldemort was gleeful enough to lower his guard and show Harry a vision, the planning must already be in an advanced stage.

They hurried to Dumbledore. When Harry knocked urgently on the door, it opened on itself. Inside, Harry could see Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and several other members of the Order. 'Ah, Harry,' the Headmaster said. 'I'm glad to see you. I have been expecting you, I must say.' The eyes of the Headmaster twinkled. 'We were just discussing some important developments. Am I right that you have something that you want to tell us?'

'Yes Sir,' Harry said slowly. He glanced at Snape before continuing. 'I saw Voldemort talking to his followers. He was talking about placing an Imperious Charm on Rufus Scrimgeour. They have the Auror department on their hand. They could launch a strike at the heart of the Ministry whenever they want.' He looked down.

'We must look into this closely,' McGonagall said. 'If Mr. Potter is right – and I have no doubt he is – we need to act. We can't let the Ministry fall into the hands of You-Know-Who without a fight.'

Harry held his tongue. He knew that fighting Voldemort was the only right decision. But he also knew that they could not beat Voldemort yet. First, they had to destroy his Horcruxes, his life-line to immortality. As long as there remained one single Horcrux, Voldemort could never be truly defeated by the forces of the Light. And it was his task to find the soul-pieces and destroy them once and for all. Ginny nodded in his head. The bond had evolved to a point that both of them could see what the other saw, if they wished to do so.

'We need somebody inside the Ministry to gather as much information as he or she can,' Dumbledore said, rising from his seat. 'We need eyes and ears outside of the Order. There must be employees at the Ministry who are prepared to fight for what is right, against the Darkness.'

Snape shook his head. 'They are afraid,' he sneered. 'They are afraid of the followers of the Dark Lord inside the Ministry. I've been there. I know what the Death Eaters are planning and doing. They intimidate, they spread lies and fear and they watch out for everybody speaking up. Most employees that were attacked in the past few weeks were those people brave or stupid enough to speak openly about the war and the Darkness.'

Harry looked at Snape. He seemed almost normal, as if he was forgetting Harry was there at all. He had never liked Snape, and had always thought the Potions Master was secretly in league with Voldemort himself. However, right now, Harry was not so sure anymore. He could see a fire in Snape's cold eyes. The man was willing to fight.

Harry crossed his arms and listened to what the Order members had to say. In the depths of his mind, he could feel Ginny listening also. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He was never alone, not anymore, but he wouldn't trade his bond with Ginny for anything in the world. She was his world.

Hermione was sitting in the library. Her eyes scanned the pages, looking for answers her mind so desperately needed. Her thoughts, however, were far away, with the war outside of the castle's walls. She read the reports in the Daily Prophet just like anybody else, but somehow Hermione felt more responsible for what was happening to the world. She was a Muggleborn. Voldemort and his followers would not hesitate to kill or seriously injure her. This was war, and in war all ruled were forgotten. Only surviving counted.

Hermione sighted and closed the large book before her. The candlelight made the shadows on the walls dance a strange pattern. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. She needed to do something. Harry was training with Dumbledore himself, preparing for the war. She envied him sometimes. He learnt spells she had never heard before. He was getting ready to do what had to be done. She wanted to do the same.

She walked back towards the Gryffindor tower, still deep in thought. She knew a lot of spells and even more about all kinds of magical creatures. She was called the brightest witch of her age. But she was afraid. Knowledge was one thing, but using that knowledge in a life or death situation was something no book could prepare her for. She also feared for her friends and parents, who were Muggles and had no way to defend themselves against Death Eaters.

She needed to do something. She knew Harry was keeping some important things from her and Ron. She had the right to know, and wanted to help defeat the dark wizard. It angered her that Harry did not tell her everything he knew. Did he not see that she could be a great asset to the Order? To himself? They had been close friends for years. She shook her head. It was of no use to get angry now. She needed to remain calm and think this over, as she had always done in the past. She would come up with the solution – now or in some days – and she would find a way to confront Harry. To convince him to let her in. A smile appeared on her face as she marched towards the Gryffindor tower, the fire of a purpose hot in her heart and mind.


	21. 20 The Coming Curse

**20**

**The Coming Curse**

Harry tossed and turned in bed. He could not sleep. His thoughts were with the members of the Order, who were right now infiltrating the Ministry, trying to lift the Imperious curse from Scrimgeour. They had to be careful, since the Auror division was now officially their enemy. Also, several known Death Eaters were working at the Ministry. It could easily degenerate to a heated fight.

Sighting, Harry got up and stepped out of bed. He took his wand and walked downstairs towards the empty common room. The fire was still burning low, so Harry quickly pushed some more wood into the hungry flames. He closed his eyes and let out his breath. Somehow, he felt like something was going to happen any moment. He could not shake the uneasy feeling from his heart and bones, not knowing why. He hated not knowing why. He played with his wand for several seconds, unsure of what he should do.

Footsteps on the stairs drew his attention from his wand. Ginny appeared, sleep clearly visible in her eyes. She smiled at him and sat herself down next to him on the couch. 'I sensed you were restless,' she whispered and snuggled close to him. 'Why? What is it Harry?'

'I don't know, and that's what's making me restless Ginny,' Harry whispered back and looked at her. She could see the concern in his eyes. 'I don't know why, but I have this feeling that something is going to happen. It's like there's something strange in the air.' He shrugged. He could not explain his feelings any better, and he knew he sounded strange and a little stupid.

Ginny gently but firmly pushed his face upwards, so she could look him in the eye. Her eyes were serious and filled with concern for him. 'You know better than to sulk like this,' she scolded him, a small smile on her lips. 'If you feel something, you shouldn't ignore it.' She hesitated for a second and bit her lip. 'You should not push it away. You are a very gifted wizard, Harry, and your feelings are well developed. Maybe we should see if everything in the castle is alright?'

Harry smiled at her. She believed him, even though he did not even fully believe himself. He could feel no doubt through their bond. He was grateful to her, but his nerves had not calmed down. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, alarms bleared through the school. The alarms bleared and made Harry shake. The sound was urgent, waking people up and urging them to action. 'The alarms,' he said out loud as he stood up quickly. 'That can only mean one thing. There's some kind of attack on the school.'

Harry rushed towards the window. He looked down over the Hogwarts ground, towards the distant gates. The alarm was still blearing, signaling intruders of dark magic near the boundaries. The darkness of night was already fading, but Harry could not see the gates in the distance. Dumbledore and Ginny stood behind him, peering into the darkness in the hopes of seeing something that could explain why the alarms had gone off in the first place. His eyes tried to pierce the darkness. Suddenly, he saw the light of spells at the entrance. He could hear explosions and faint screaming. His blood turned to ice. Death Eaters had come to Hogwarts, whilst the Headmaster and most of the teachers were away fighting at the Ministry of Magic.

Harry took a deep breath. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Hermione and Ron appeared, followed closely by Ginny and Neville. All of them had grim looks on their faces.

'What's going on Harry?' Hermione asked. She looked sleepy, but her eyes were urgent and awake. Harry pointed at the window. 'Somebody is attacking the entrance of the school,' he quickly explained as another far explosion could be heard. 'I'm betting it's the Death Eaters. They must have figured out that the Order is away at the Ministry. They smelled their chance.'

Another distant boom echoed in the common room, as the alarm started again, even louder this time. More and more Gryffindor's were coming down into the common room. Some of the younger students looked frightened, and the nerves on the faces of the older ones was clearly visible. Harry knew he had to do something. He had to save as many lives as he could, for he knew that the Death Eaters would we able to overcome the defenses at the entrance gates if their numbers were great enough. 'Listen up!' he screamed. Everybody grew silent as all eyes turned towards Harry. 'We need to organize. The school is under attack. There are Death Eaters at the gates, and there's a great chance that they will be able to advance on the school. We need to defend it.' The last words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

A few of the older students advanced on him. They nodded grimly and gripped their wands tightly. 'Lead the younger students towards the seventh floor,' Harry quickly explained. 'We need to get them to safety, and I know a place where they might be safe. Send massagers to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Houses. They need to be alerted.'

Some Gryffindor's began organizing the younger students. Others quickly made their way towards the exit. Harry and his friends advanced on the window again, looking towards the school grounds. The spell-fire was closer to the school now. It was clear that the Death Eaters had the numbers to advance on the school, and that the scattered resistance was not strong enough to keep them at bay for much longer.

'Follow me,' Harry growled. He led his friends towards the Great Hall, were more older students were assembling. Harry could see a lot of members of the HDA. He smiled. He aimed his wand at the ceiling and shot out a concussion charms. The bang silenced everybody and drew the attention of the students towards his person. 'Thank you all for coming,' he explained in a hard voice. 'You've heard the explosions. You know what's going on outside. There are only a few teachers here who are fighting outside. We need to help them. We need to defend the castle, for the sake of the younger students.'

The assembled students nodded. Their faces were grim and their eyes were serious. They knew what was at stake. They were prepared to fight. 'Let's go!' Harry screamed. A roar of approval rallied behind him as the students worked their way towards the ceiled front doors. The booms of explosions could be heard clearly now. The fighting was not far away. Harry led the students towards the hall and began advising them to take cover behind anything that could shield them from harmful spells. He knew the Death Eaters would not show any mercy or restraint in any way. They had come to terrorize and kill.

The front doors flew open. Sprout backed up, firing spells. Her hair was sticking out. She was followed by Hagrid and Snape, both with wands in their hands. Two man Harry did not know followed them into the castle. Several purple and black curses flew into the hall, shattering against the walls and leaving black, burned marks. 'We need to protect the students!' Snape screamed as one of the two unknown men fell to the ground. He was bleeding from a large wound.

'Fire!' Harry roared. Students appeared from every direction and started firing spells at the front doors, just as the first three Death Eaters advanced into the castle. They were laughing, but the laughing soon died down as two of the three went down to stunners. Concussion hexes blew out the floor and made part of the wall next to the door collapse.

Harry fired several curses at the Death Eaters. There seemed to be at least ten of them. All were clearly experienced. One of the Death Eaters threw a curse at one of the students. Harry recognized him as a Ravenclaw. The student screamed and went down, not standing up again. Another students was flung back some ten meter as the floor collapsed before him. Harry felt his anger grow. How dare the Death Eaters come into Hogwarts that way. How dare they come to the only place Harry had ever seen as his home, a place where he was welcomed and where he belonged.

His anger soured in him. Ginny appeared next to him, firing a strong stunner towards one of the Death Eaters. The man went down and did not come back up. Harry smiled and took a deep breath. His nerves calmed as Ginny gripped his hand. They advanced together, firing spells. They destroyed the shield of one of the Death Eaters. Ron and Hermione appeared and took the man's wand, destroying it with an incendiary charm. Ron smiled and led a group of students towards the doors, trying to seal the castle. The remaining Death Eaters knew what was coming for them.

'Retreat!' one of the Death Eaters screamed. 'Regroup!' The six Death Eaters that were still standing retreated towards the doors, shield themselves as the students of the HDA advanced on them, keeping up a steady stream of hexes and curses to drive the invaders back.

Harry swiftly advanced on the doors. He looked back. A large part of the hall was destroyed. Several walls had broken down, the floor was ripped open and some wooden structures were in flames. Several bodies were on the floor. Some of them were Death Eaters, but he saw some students too. Sprout and Snape were already checking them, healing broken bones and cancelling stunners along the way. Other students were talking, whilst some followed Harry towards the front doors of the castle. The Death Eaters were fleeing down the road towards the entrance gates and did not fire another curse towards the defenders.

'We did it,' Harry breathed. A smile spread on his face. 'Somebody needs to get the younger students. It's safe now. They won't come back anytime soon, I gather.' The other students cheered and shot red and gold sparks into the nightly air, illuminating the grounds around the school.

'Potter!' The angry voice of Snape made him turn around, a scowl already on his face. 'What were you thinking, leading underage students into battle? Two people have been seriously injured. It's a miracle none of them has been killed in the battle.' The Potion Master shook his head violently. 'You are as arrogant as your father, Potter.'

'I'm very sorry Sir,' Harry said icily. 'I think I have just saved Hogwarts from certain destruction. You were driven back. One of your … friends had already fallen. They were storming the castle and I did the only thing I could do.' His green eyes flashed dangerously. 'My HDA has proven its effectiveness Professor, even though you do not want to see it.'

Snape opened his mouth again, his face red with anger. Suddenly, Ron and Hermione appeared beside Harry, their faces stone cold. Neville appeared to, followed by more Gryffindor's. Soon, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw members of the club also lined up behind Harry. Nobody said a word, but the statement was clear. Snape did not have the right to get at Harry. Snape had no right to claim the HDA could not defend the castle or play an effective role in the war against Lord Voldemort. Some students had their wands still in their hands, seemingly ready to use them at a moment's notice.

'Very well then,' Snape sneered. 'If you younglings think you know what death is, what a war is, go get it.' He shook his head. 'I hope for your sake Potter, that you make sure none of them is killed. Any harm done to them will be solely on your shoulders.' With those depressing words, Snape marched off, leaving Harry and his followers behind in a stunned silence.


	22. 21 Another Horcrux

**21**

**Another Horcrux**

Night had fallen over Hogwarts. The castle was silent, as the students and the staff pondered what had happened. The danger had been real, and for the first time the War had come terribly close to Hogwarts. It didn't feel safe anymore. Harry and his friends walked through the silent corridors, their feet bringing them to the Room of Requirement. Harry stood still before the door. 'I want to see the place where everything is hidden,' he murmured, and paced three times in front of the door. They wanted to be alone, hiding, speaking to one another without being seen by the rest of the castle.

The door appeared. Harry opened the door and stepped inside, taking a deep breath. Ron, Hermione and Ginny followed him inside. The room was a large dome, stacked with enormous amounts of rubble and lost items. Several birds flew near the ceiling. The air was dusty and heavy. 'Nice place,' Ginny said in a sarcastic voice. 'Really homely feeling. Nicely done, Harry.' She grinned and patted him on the back. Harry mumbled something and grinned back. He couldn't help it. Ginny always knew what to say to him to make him feel better about the choices he had made.

Ron and Hermione shared a look. They had seen Harry and Ginny getting closer, and they knew what it meant. The couple was powerful. Together, the two of them could achieve amazing things. Hermione looked on as Harry and Ginny moved deeper into the piles of rubble, talking softly to one another. A part of her hoped she could do the same with Ron, who was standing beside her and looked interested in several items that were sprawled on the floor. He had not said a word to her once they got into the Room of Requirement. It annoyed her. Why couldn't he be a normal boy with feelings for just one day?

'Care for a walk?' she asked Ron. Ron blinked with his eyes and looked at her for a fraction of a second. He nodded, red tips appearing on his ears. He smiled as he took her hand, carefully avoiding putting too much pressure in the grip. He knew he was strong, and Hermione would not like it if he accidentally crushed her hand or something. She would scold him for days to come. 'Lead the way,' he said grinning. Hermione nodded. As a faint red blush appeared on her cheeks, she let Ron into the maze of rubble, a comfortable silence falling on the young couple as they walked.

Harry and Ginny waked deeper into the large room. They held hands, and it was as natural as breathing to them. 'It's nice to finally have some time alone,' Harry said to the red-haired girl walking beside him. 'We need it, Ginny. Sometimes I get the feeling Ron and Hermione are everywhere I look and go. Thy are great friends, but you are different. You are so much more.'

Ginny squeezed his hand reassuringly. 'I won't go anywhere,' she whispered in a soft voice. 'Maybe we should snog in front of my dear brother. I doubt he would stand for it, though. His face should be priceless, however.' She smirked. Harry could not hide his smile as an image of him snogging Ginny senseless appeared in his mind, Ron and Hermione watching with their mouths hanging open. He grinned and shook his head.

Harry stopped and turned to look at Ginny. 'I love you,' he said, a smile on his face. 'I can't believe I can say that now. Several months ago I would feel totally ashamed. I didn't even know what love was.' He shook his head and stared at a pile of rubble. 'You made my live different Ginny. I don't know if you know how much that means to me, but I think you do. I will fight and defeat Voldemort once and for all, so that I can be with you and live my life in peace.'

The two of them came together and kissed. It was a soft kiss, full of feelings that didn't need to be said loud. They could both feel through their bond what the other felt. They knew this was something for live, and no living force was able to overpower that feeling or drive them apart. A soft golden glow erupted and swirled around the two teens. They were oblivious to their surroundings. A soft hum reverberated in the air as magic itself seemed to glow and dance, pulsing with power and promises.

Suddenly, Harry pulled away from Ginny and looked around. His eyes fell on a pile of rubble nearby, looking just like the other ones that were towering towards the distant ceiling. Harry frowned. Something drew him towards the pile of rubble. His eyes searched the pile, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Ginny walked next to him. He could feel she sensed something too. 'It's evil,' she whispered and shook her head. 'I don't know, I can only feel it vaguely. But it's something that's evil to it's very core.' She shivered. 'I reminds me of Tom Riddle's Diary somehow.'

Harry gripped her hand tighter. He knew she still had trouble with nightmares now and then. The Diary had scarred her more deeply than she had wanted to admit to the rest of the world. He was the only one who could sense it through their bond. 'I need to know what it is,' he whispered.

Harry pulled out his wand and aimed at the pile of rubble. He blasted several items away, frowning. The feeling was still there. Again and again he blasted curses. Object where flying through the air. Ron and Hermione appeared, their own wands in their hands. 'What's he doing?' Ron asked his sister. Ginny looked at the two of them. 'We sense something evil in that pile of rubble. We want to know what it is. It's something that doesn't belong here. It's tainted somehow, I can't explain it any better.'

Hermione opened her mouth and closed it again. She seemed hesitant to speak for a moment. 'I can't feel anything,' she whispered and frowned. 'Are you sure this is something we need to do? Your destroying a lot of personal items belonging to somebody.'

'Don't be such a rule-addict Hermione,' Ron said. 'If Harry and Ginny sense something evil in there, we need to know what it is. Or do you want other students to get hurt because we didn't act?' He smiled at her, knowing he had won the argument. It didn't happen very often, so he cherished every moment of it. Undoubtedly Hermione would win the next argument, and the one after that. She was way too bright for her age.

Hermione grumbled something inaudible and crossed her arms. Her eyes flashed, but she held her tongue in check. Ginny grinned and shook her head. The signs were so obvious to everybody except the two of them. She thought that they may need some help in coming out. An idea started to form in her head. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Harry let out a harsh gasp and took a step back. Ginny turned around and looked at the item floating in the air. It was a simple diadem, but the silver seemed to shine with an infernal glow. Her eyes were drawn to it and her hart started beating faster. Her mouth had gone dry.

'What is that?' Hermione whispered. She took a step towards the floating diadem, her eyes large. 'It's so beautiful. It must be really old.' The air seemed to hum. Ron blinked with his eyes and looked around. Something was not right. He could see Hermione trembling as she took another step towards the diadem. When she stretched her hand, he quickly took it before she could make contact with the diadem itself. 'Let's not be hasty shall we?' he asked slowly. 'We don't know what this is. Harry said it's something evil. We need to see if there are some kind of hidden spells and hexes on it. Harry?'

Harry nodded. He shook his head and aimed his wand. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He hissed and shook visibly. 'I know what that is,' he said in an awed voice. 'That … that is one of the Horcruxes. That is one of Voldemort's soul-pieces.'

They all looked at the floating diadem. Harry and Ginny could feel the darkness and sickness pulsing in the air. 'I feel it,' Ginny whispered. 'I can feel his soul inside of that thing. It's like a taint in the air.' Her wand was aimed at the diadem. 'We should destroy it. It doesn't belong here.'

Harry nodded. He aimed his wand and shot a powerful incendiary spell towards the diadem, trying to melt it down. He knew that the soul-piece would die of the vessel holding it was destroyed. He just hoped Voldemort had not put as much defenses on it as on his other Horcruxes. Maybe he had hoped that hiding a Horcrux in Hogwarts itself would not rouse suspicion. It was the last place anybody would look, right under the nose of Albus Dumbledore. The fire engulfed the diadem and died out, leaving the floating diadem without a scratch.

The diadem screamed. A large black cloud rose, forming a face with red eyes. It turned to Ginny. 'Ginny Weasley,' a hissing voice said. 'I felt you. You are mine, as you once were. I claim you as mine.' Ginny shivered and took a step back, her eyes wide and her face ash-white. Harry moved to stand in front of Ginny, his hand outstretched. 'You will not get her,' he growled as anger rose inside of him in a huge surge. 'You won't take her away from me!' Magical power pulsated around him as a tidal wave.

The red eyes glowed with hatred. 'She is mine,' the voice said. 'She opened the Diary. My diary. I possessed her. She will always be mine.' The darkness seemed to grow ever deeper and more threatening. Harry launched a bolt of magic at the darkness. A loud bang echoed in the room as the darkness collapsed into itself, only slowly forming again. 'You will not take her,' Harry growled. Again he unleashed his magic, slamming it into the darkness, fighting it and willing it to shrink and contract. Ron and Hermione looked on wide eyed. Both of them had taken cover behind a wall of rubble, knowing that they would not be able to do the magic Harry was doing. They could feel the floor shaking with the power of the spells being used.

'Ginny Weasley is mine.' The hissing voice seemed to grow in power. 'She was always mine. Come here girl. Come here and meet your destiny.' The red eyes once again focused on Ginny, who was standing behind Harry. She had her wand raised, but her face looked frightened. Harry once more shot a golden light into the darkness, but it seemed to form itself faster and faster. Harry bit his lip. Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind. He took a step back. 'It's feeding on your fears Ginny,' he whispered to the red-haired girl standing beside him. 'You need to face this. We can do this, but we need to do it together. We have a bond, Ginny, and I'm not letting Voldemort destroy this. Take my hand.' He outstretched his hand towards Ginny, hoping he could reach her though her obvious fears and terror.

'Grip my hand tight,' Harry urged. Ginny nodded and took his hand. Harry and Ginny locked eyes and nodded. They outstretched their hands towards the darkness. The red eyes burned with intense hatred as the face made another attempt to reach them. Harry and Ginny closed their eyes. The golden glow appeared, growing stronger. A searing wind blew through the chamber. A bolt of pure golden light shot of from the two teens, sharp and deadly accurate. It collided with the darkness. A loud bang sounded as the darkness splintered. A scream of internal rage could be heard as the darkness disappeared. The diadem was blown into hundreds of razor sharp bits, flying outwards. Harry and Ginny threw themselves to the ground, taking cover as the sharp pieces of metal flew over their heads. Silence descended on the chamber once more.

'You did it,' Hermione screamed. 'You actually did it!' She hugged Ginny and Harry, grinning wildly. Ron clapped Harry on the back, a huge smile of triumph forming on his face as well. Just as he was about to say something, the door banged open and Albus Dumbledore appeared, taking in the scene before him.


End file.
